Closer Ties
by Bralt
Summary: Crowley's history is a mystery. Nobody knows why he's a Ranger or who he really is. Not even Halt. But when somebody pops up from his past he is forced to explain himself. And boy does he feel lucky to have Halt as a friend. Rated for fighting.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**Thank you to the amazing, awesome, epic writer Mychele O'Carrick of Clonmel for helping me so much with my stories and this one's title and some details in it**

**Thank you Lovergirlofbooks for the many reviews you have given me in the past.**

**Thank you to the anomynus reviewer that called themselves a Bralt wannabe. That made my day:)**

**I told one or two of you I wouldn't be posting till next weekend but I got time because teachers are not cruel and did not give us homework for the last weekend of school:)**

Crowley waved to several castle inhabitants as he passed them on the dirt path winding down to the cabin situated in the clearing in the forest by Castle Araluen. It was a pleasant summer day with the sun shining and the different colors of flowers scattered haphazardly in the grass surrounding him. As he went farther from the castle on the somewhat grown in path the inhabitant numbers dwindled until it was just him and his horse. He didn't mind; as all Rangers did, he had a special bond with his horse that caused him to think of him as a person. After a few minutes more riding they reached the clearing where the cabin sat. Crowley checked Cropper and patted his neck before dismounting and climbing the few steps of the verandah. He didn't use the cabin as a home anymore as he lived in the castle but he used it as a storage unit for the never ceasing amount of reports, books and maps that he had collected over the years. He opened the door and walked a few paces into the deserted cabin and reached the first box that started the barrier to the rest of the cabin. He grunted as he hefted the box into his arms and carried it outside.

"Seems like a good place to start," he muttered as he set the box down beside a chair on the verandah. Turning towards Cropper he made the 'free' signal which enabled the horse to wander around the small clearing and graze. "Might as well get comfortable; we won't be leaving anytime soon," he added darkly as he looked down at the box again.

Today was one of his very rare days that he had no present reports and matters to deal with but being the commandant he had collected bunches of reports and stowed them away over his course of leadership. Every few years he would go through them and take out the ones that marked unimportant robberies or other crimes while he kept the things that could help them solve cases that were still open or catch murderers who were still at large. Crowley sat down in the chair and reflected how it would have been nice to bring some coffee but quickly shook the idea away. Coffee was only a distraction and he needed to get this cabin cleared out. He bent down and picked up the first report on the pile. After a brief scanning he placed it back down by the box. This time he grabbed a small pile of reports and began reading.

The commandant sat there for a few hours reading and sorting the various papers. As he bent down to get yet another small bundle of papers he noticed Cropper had stopped grazing and was standing tense with his ears pricked. Crowley frowned and sat back up, listening intently. It was a few seconds before the light breeze carried it to him but he could hear what sounded like a small party of people speaking. A few more minutes revealed his assumption to be right. The voices got louder and louder until Crowley realized that they were going to pass right through the clearing in a few minutes. He shrugged; there really wasn't much harm in that.

He motioned to Cropper to calm down and the horse shook his mane before returning to the important task of finding perfect grass. Crowley was still listening intently and could catch snatches of words. As they drew nearer he could make out more.

"My lord, I believe we are close to Castle Araluen now. Would you like me to assemble the party?" The voice was slightly squeaky but carried certain authority that could only come with a high ranking position.

"Might as well; you're not going to stop pestering me about it until I say yes." This voice was deep and sounded as if the owner were used to being in control. Crowley frowned; it sounded vaguely familiar but he couldn't quite place it. "Are you sure you know where we are going? I haven't seen sight of a path since you lead us off it a few days ago." He sounded agitated.

"Yes, my lord. I learned of this shortcut a couple of years ago. It will bring us out into a clearing and then all we have to do is follow the path to the castle." The squeaky voice sounded eager to show off what he knew. Crowley rolled his eyes; it was hardly a shortcut if you had to fight through off road terrain.

Crowley thought for a moment. The party was obviously some sort of royal assembly and most likely from one of the fiefs. They wouldn't be any trouble but his years of being a Ranger had him suspecting even the seemingly impossible. He grabbed his longbow that he had lain down beside the chair with the quiver. A heartbeat later the bow was nocked with an arrow and Crowley stood from the chair. He disappeared into the shadows surrounding where he assumed the group would come out of the forest. He waited a few more minutes listening to the approaching horses. When he listened close enough he could hear muffled curses as brambles clung onto a coat and tore a stitch. By the time they were a few meters from breaking cover Crowley had counted six different sets of hoof beats.

"How is this shortcut?" The deep voice snarled as he emerged from the clearing. Crowley had been right in suspecting that he was a baron of sorts. The fit looking man sat astride a startling white mare and had a look of importance about him. His short brown hair was flecked with white and his goatee had the same streaks in it. Under thick brows his dark green eyes were swinging lazily across the clearing taking in the details. His face was thin and pale flesh gave it a sinister look.

"We are at the Ranger's clearing; he stays up at the castle so nobody takes residence here," the squeaky voice said and Crowley took his eyes off the broad baron. This figure was slightly smaller but dressed in the same finery as the baron if not a little bit less extravagant. His hair was silver with no trace of anything else and even on his smaller horse it was apparent that he was at least a head shorter than the man he rode next to. Crowley assumed he would be the baron's assistant. Crowley shifted his gaze once more as six armed and mounted knights rode out from cover as well. They took up positions surrounding the baron with one man a side.

"Well if nobody's here then let's stay. The king can wait until tomorrow; we've been riding all day and I'm quite sick of it." The baron looked to his left where the cabin lay and huffed. "Not much of a place for one as myself." Crowley's brow came together at the remark. This man had always held himself above all others and been an unpleasant person to be around.

"No, I rather think you should travel the remaining mile," Crowley said disdainfully as he stepped out of the shadows. His face remained hidden under his cowl and his bow was held loosely in his hand but the other man noticed that an arrow was still nocked.

"Men!" the assistant shouted and the knights turned towards Crowley with their swords poised for fight.

"No need for that," Crowley answered as he looked at each in turn. They all seemed sure of their weapons and he had no doubt that they would cut him to bits fairly quickly. As Crowley as expected the knights lowered their weapons as they saw he was a King's Ranger. Even thick skulled knights knew enough not to mess with a Ranger.

"What are you doing?" snarled a voice from behind the knights. "You respond to me; why are you not attacking?" it added before they could answer.

"Well I doubt they'd want to go against a King's Ranger," Crowley answered coldly. He watched as the muscular figure of the baron dismounted and shoved past the knights to see who was disrupting their travel. He glared at the figure that was at least a head smaller than he.

"And who cares about that? A Ranger is just another term for a lying snoop," the baron replied disrespectfully. Crowley looked at him with his brow furrowed; this man really hadn't changed much.

"Watch your tongue," Crowley answered in a grave tone. The baron looked at the small figure with disgust. He hated these men and how they went around in the shadows doing whatever and spying on others.

"And what gives you the right to tell me that? Even if you are a pesky forester with an overblown title; I am Lord Feller of Candell Fief." The man looked down at Crowley and saw a face hidden in the cowl that he could vaguely remember but it was still to hidden in shadow to determine who it was.

Crowley glared at the man for a moment more before reaching his hand up slowly to pull back his cowl. As it fell back at his shoulders the shock was evident in the baron's eyes. He even took a pace back. The knights stirred uneasily but Crowley noticed how they stayed back with the assistant.

"You never really did like the Rangers or understand their importance. I suppose that's why you disowned me when I started training," Crowley said icily as he looked the man in the eye. He never really did have any place in his heart for a cowardly father.

**Tell me what you hate, what you like. If this idea seems good or if it doesn't seem good:)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

"I see you finally found your place among the snoops," Baron Feller snarled a few seconds after he recovered from the shock of seeing his son. Crowley just looked at him with utter disgust.

"And I see you haven't changed any. Still the stuck up dolt that has an over inflated ego," Crowley shot back he glared at the baron and noted with pleasure that the knights protecting his father were shifting uncertainly but still made no move towards the man. It was obvious they didn't serve for loyalty or love.

"Shut up. You have no right to talk to me like that; you're just a meddling forester like the rest of them." Feller looked at his son. He knew the face had been fairly recognizable but now that the cowl was drawn back it was obvious. It had been around twenty-five years or so since he last saw his son but the sandy hair was still the same color as it had been in youth if not for a few grey hairs and the determination in his eyes was still evident. His confidence gathered as he saw that his son was still the short and stocky figure he had always been but something about his confident stance made a small warning go off in his mind. Too bad it was too late.

"I have every right to talk to scum like you like that," Crowley answered angrily. He could handle insults to himself any time but he couldn't handle insults to his treasured Corps.

"Why you little-"Before Feller finished his sentence his anger boiled over and he lunged towards his son.

Taken unaware Crowley didn't get the chance to move out of the way before the weight of his father took him to the ground. Despite the size difference Crowley wriggled free and tried to escape but his father grabbed his ankle and held it with an iron grip. Crowley toppled to the ground and his father stood up still with a steely grip on the commandant's leg. Crowley strained to get free but he was locked in the vise like hands of his father. The knights and the assistant watched in confusion and somewhat amusement as Feller grabbed Crowley by the collar and hefted him up so his son's feet dangled a few inches off the ground. Crowley struggled but it was pointless; he had been caught by surprise and the size difference had become dominant. Despite his situation though Crowley set his face in a mask and stared into his father's eyes. All he saw was hatred and he returned it almost too eagerly.

"Go ahead and hit me. You always were a coward that based everything on size," Crowley said quietly. His father looked at him and shook his head.

"You would never have made a good ruler. The only thing you're good for is snitching," Feller answered with anger. He had never felt anything for his son. "You always found more amusement in spying on honest men then in learning how to be a great man."

"The only men I looked after were your cronies. Knowing you they were probably out there killing those who didn't agree with you. I would hardly be learning how to be a great man if I'd decided to be taught your ways." Crowley kept his face a mask as Feller raised his massive right arm and landed a stinging slap on Crowley's cheek. The commandant didn't even flinch.

"You do not speak to me like that, I am your father," he snarled as he threw Crowley back to the grassy ground. The left side of the Ranger's face was red but he paid it no attention as he stood up. He looked about ready to kill.

"You disowned me. You abandoned me and didn't want anything to do with me. As far as I'm concerned you are no father to me," Crowley felt the side of his face that was red going numb but he didn't show any outward appearance of caring.

"You know, I tried to find anything worth keeping in you. I found nothing. Your mother said you were a blessing but now that I think about it, you were nothing more than a nuisance. I had to watch over you while you ran off with that Pritchard character and learned to be a slinking coward." Baron Feller's voice was a sneer and Crowley felt his anger boil over. Without any plan in mind he lunged forward punching blindly. Not having a plan was what did him in.

He felt his fist make contact with Feller's nose and was proud to see blood trailing down his face. The baron grunted in pain but retaliated. He drove a left hook into Crowley's gut, effectively winding him. As Crowley tried to gain his breath back the noble swung a back hand slap at his face and Crowley's head jerked to the side with the force of it. He stumbled away a few paces still trying to get air into his lungs. Feller advanced without mercy and slammed his clenched fist into his son's nose. Crowley fell backwards and lay with his chest heaving on the ground staring up at the blue sky. He could feel the stream of blood flowing down the sides of his face. In a matter of seconds Feller's head was blocking the sunlight and staring down at him with a cruel smile playing across his thin lips.

"Some sneaker you turned out to be. Can't even defend yourself," he sneered. His voice sounded weird and Crowley figured the blood had clogged up in his nose blocking the airway. Crowley himself couldn't breathe and he knew that his nose was probably in no better condition than Feller's if not worse. Crowley looked up at him with hatred swelling in his chest and did the only thing he knew would drive his father crazy. He smiled. Not a true smile but a smile that never reached the eyes.

"I can't help but notice that your loyal knights over there didn't even bother to interfere with this little skirmish. Don't they want to defend you?" Crowley asked with scorn heavy in his voice. Feller looked down at the figure that was still gulping air.

Crowley saw a flicker in the baron's eyes and knew he had crossed a line but he couldn't help but feel proud about it. He went to say something else but realized he had nothing more to say. In a last ditch effort of escape he looked around him for Cropper but his spirits fell as he remembered that the horse had wandered away when he went to wait for the procession to come out of the forest. Feller raised his metal booted foot and drove a kick to the side of Crowley's head. His head jerked sideways and his body relaxed but his chest was still rising and falling. He looked as if he were sleeping almost. Feller smiled mercilessly at the figure and spit down on him before turning to face his comrades. His nose was still smashed and bleeding but other than that he had gained no major injuries.

"Drag his body onto the verandah into the chair," he ordered. The knights and assistant stayed mounted staring at him in shock. "Well?" he roared and the four knights quickly jumped off their horses and sheathed their swords. As they made their way over to the limp body their armor clinked.

"M…my lord…is…is he…dead?" the assistant stuttered. He remained mounted and staring at the form the knights were dragging back towards the cabin a hundred or so meters away. Feller glared a warning at him and he decided to leave it at that. "My lord?" he started again. Feller scowled at him again but made a gesture for him to continue. "Is…is he really Crowley? The one who disappeared twenty-five years or so ago? Because if it is then wouldn't he be the heir to the thrown instead of Seth?" Seth was Crowley's younger brother by around six years. Feller shot eye daggers at his assistant and was tempted to leave him with Crowley but instead decided to answer.

"No, he's a pathetic charlatan. All Rangers are," he snarled. The assistant noticed the danger in his voice but his curiosity won over and he pressed on.

"But he said that you were his father my lord. Didn't your first son-"the man was cut short as Feller unsheathed his dagger and walked towards him while tapping it against his other hand casually.

"My only son now is Seth. True I had a son some years ago but he ran off in the forest one day and was killed by a bear. We found his body. End of subject," he finished in a threateningly soft voice. The assistant gave a shaky nod suddenly accepting of the fact that the man on the verandah was not Crowley. Feller gave a curt nod and re-sheathed his dagger.

"Mount up men!" Feller called as he mounted his own horse and the knights returned from dragging Crowley onto the verandah. Unlike his nosey partner, they didn't question what they had heard. "We have to go see the king." The party started to move forward. "And nobody saw a thing. I fell of my horse and bashed my nose on a rock if anybody asks," he added the last part as he felt blood trickling down his neck into his collar.

"What about the Ranger my lord?" his associate asked in a whisper when they were a fair distance away from the cabin. He glanced behind them as if expecting the cloaked figure to come running after them.

"We never saw him," Feller replied in the same whisper.

**Please review and I promise I'll review one of your stories. I want to know what you think of this so far**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

Crowley's eyes flicked open and closed as soon as the sunlight hit them. It looked to be around morning and at first he was confused as to why he was at the cabin slumped in the chair on the verandah. He shifted painfully so he was sitting upright; his head was throbbing and his nose felt as if a horse had run over it. Thinking caused waves of pain to roll through his head but eventually he recalled what had happened and gave a low moan. He opened his eyes slowly and let them adjust to the light before he began to think again. He remembered his father coming into the clearing and he remembered the fight. He remembered lying on the ground and watching as his father picked up his foot and sent it into the side of his head. After that it was darkness. He looked around the clearing once more and sat up straighter with alarm. Cropper wasn't there. He gave a low whistle and was relieved when the horse walked out of the forest a minute or so later. Cropper looked at his master once and gave a whinny while shaking his mane.

"Well this wouldn't of happened had you not been so involved in your mission to find grass," Crowley answered in a mock indignant voice at the look Cropper was giving him. Cropper tilted his head and looked at his master as if asking why it was his fault his master didn't call. "Sorry if I was too busy getting slapped around to call you," Crowley said sarcastically. Cropper nodded his head and Crowley knew he would never get the last word.

Crowley smiled before leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes. He couldn't go back up to the castle with his father there and he had nothing to live off here unless he wanted to live like he was on the road. That didn't appeal to him too much. He thought for a few more minutes but couldn't come up with anything better besides staying in the inn in town but that would raise questions and interest. Also something he wanted to avoid. Finally he came to the conclusion that he could hardly stay near Castle Araluen with his father there. Memories surfaced of the time he had run away to go see Pritchard. The last time he had done so he had returned to his father seething with fury at his option to become a Ranger. His father never really had liked men like he and they had parted on his father's promise to kill him. Baron Feller had even faked his death so people would gradually forget him but Crowley knew only too well that that wasn't good enough for him.

The commandant stood and walked inside to grab a blank piece of parchment and a quill. He scribbled a few lines on it before folding and sealing it. With that done he walked back out to Cropper and mounted him. They rode off to town with Crowley wiping off some of the dried blood that wasn't glued to him. Crowley stopped a messenger heading back to the castle from the town when they passed him. The messenger looked at the Ranger curiously as he took in the bloody nose and hassled appearance. In the end he agreed to take the commandant's letter to its recipient. Crowley smiled and urged Cropper onwards again. He had to go get some coffee for the cabin.

* * *

Halt set his cup of coffee down at the wooden table in his apartment he shared with Pauline in the castle when he heard the knock on the door. Pauline went to rise but Halt motioned for her to stay as he was closer to the door anyways. The knocking started again and began to increase as the seconds went by. Halt grumbled some choice words about the imbecile's continued knocking. He reached the door quietly and ripped it open, making the messenger stop with his fist ready to knock once again.

"Ranger Halt; I have a letter for you," he said formally. Halt resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"I thought you were here for some lunch," Halt answered sardonically. The messenger looked a little confused at the statement and this time Halt did roll his eyes. "Well?" He motioned towards the letter the messenger held in one hand at his side. The man snapped back into action.

"Oh, yes. It is from Ranger Crowley," he said as he handed the letter to Halt who looked at it with mild interest. Halt went to close the door but the messenger gave a slight cough.

"Sounds like you got a cold there," Halt muttered and went to close the door again.

"No, no; it's just that I have come from Castle Araluen to do this and technically I really didn't have to spend the few days in a saddle riding here over the rough terrain so I was wondering if you'd be ever so kind as to donate a small portion of your wealth-"he was cut off as the door closed in his face. Giving a sigh he walked away mumbling about Ranger's lack of generosity.

Pauline raised an eyebrow as Halt tossed the letter carelessly onto the table and reclaimed his seat. Over the rim of his coffee mug he frowned.

"What?" he asked as he set the mug down and took in her disapproving look.

"Don't you think you should open it?" she said accusingly. "If your commandant sent it to you then shouldn't you make it your top priority?" Halt looked at her with an amused expression.

"Right now my lunch is my top priority. It's probably just the details about Clark's mission from last month," Halt added as he saw the look in her eyes. He sighed and picked up the letter after a few moments of her stern gaze.

Halfway through the few lines scribbled onto the letter he frowned. Crowley was asking him to switch places with him for a few weeks but gave no explanation. At the bottom was a request for him to come as quick as he could. He reread the letter to see if there were any hints as to why he had to switch places but found none. Laying the letter back on the table he picked up his mug and drained the remaining few sips before standing and going to gather his stuff. Pauline looked at him curiously.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Halt stopped halfway to the bedroom and turned to look at her.

"Crowley needs me to switch places with him for a few weeks," he answered. "He didn't say why though," he added before she could ask her next question.

About half an hour later Halt went through his pack once more checking to see that he had everything. Pauline was standing next to him patiently waiting for him to finish his task. When he was done he set the pack down and turned to her.

"I doubt it's anything bad," he said calmly as he saw the worry in her eyes. "Chances are he's looking to shrug off some of his workload onto me." Halt gave a faint smile and was pleased to see Pauline smile back.

"How long do you suppose you'll be gone?" she asked. Based on his small pack it didn't seem too long.

"From what I gather it shouldn't be longer than one or two weeks," Halt answered. Pauline nodded and hugged him. "Don't worry it didn't seem like anything was wrong," he said as he pulled back and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. She smiled and gave a nod.

"Yes but knowing you you'll find something wrong and get in trouble," she said it a bit accusingly but it was well meant.

"Tell Will that I've gone to Araluen and that Crowley should be here in about a week if not less." Halt pecked her cheek once more before slinging his quiver onto his back and picking up his small pack and bow. He opened the door to leave but turned around once more. "And try and keep my coffee away from him. He's too cheap to buy his own." Pauline smiled and Halt turned to leave.

**Please review**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

Halt rode into the clearing on Abelard as the sun was just coming up to shine light across the castle. He made the remaining mile of the journey to the cabin in less than five minutes. Crowley was sitting on the verandah in the chair and covered in a blanket. Halt's brow creased. It was odd for Crowley to go back to the Ranger life style after falling in love with the castle comforts but it was even more out of place for him to make it even more below standards by sleeping outside in a chair. Abelard slowed to a stop as they drew up in front of the cabin. Halt dismounted and made the 'free' gesture to release Abelard to the surrounding grass. The Ranger glanced lazily at Crowley and rolled his eyes.

"You're losing it Crowley. I know you're not asleep," Halt said. He had seen the commandant stir slightly as he rode into the clearing and then watched as he shifted his head in fake sleep so he could get a better look at Halt.

"Sorry if we can't be as good performers as you," Crowley muttered as he rolled out of the chair and stretched. Sleeping in a chair for one night was painful, any more than that was torture. Halt looked at him with his eyebrows raised.

"May I ask why you're sleeping down here? I thought you'd become rather fond of castle living," Halt teased. He had always knew his friend had a soft spot for fine food and poufy beds.

"If I've heard right it seems that you're getting rather fond of raiding Chubbs kitchen in Redmont instead of shooting your own meat," Crowley retorted. Halt grunted and absently rubbed a spot on his head where said cook had whacked him a few weeks ago. It still gave the occasional throb.

"That still doesn't answer my question as to why you are sleeping in a chair," Halt pointed out after a pause. Crowley smiled and walked down the steps to his friend who still stood where Abelard had left him.

"Well if you want to try and navigate the mess in there, go ahead," Crowley said while motioning towards the cabin.

"I don't think I could." Halt had seen the interior of the wood building once before about five years ago and he could hardly imagine how much more paper Crowley had collected.

"Well I have cleared a path to the kitchen at least," Crowley said thoughtfully. He was rather fond of the idea of getting a mug of coffee right now.

"I'm guessing you snuck some coffee off the innkeeper as well?" Halt asked although it was more of a statement.

"I did not!" Crowley protested. Halt raised his eyebrows. "I snuck it out of his cupboard," Crowley mumbled. "Does it really matter where I got it from?" Crowley asked after a pause. Halt considered the point.

"No, I suppose not," Halt said while looking around. He noticed that Crowley had left Cropper meandering around in the clearing instead of putting him in the lean to. Not too far away was a bucket of water and another of grain.

"I'll make the coffee while you take care of Abelard," Crowley said as he noted Halt's actions. Halt nodded.

Crowley turned and made his way back to the verandah as Halt went the opposite direction to Abelard. He spoke quietly to his horse as he opened a pocket in the saddle pack and pulled out a brush. When he was done brushing him down, he unpacked the folding bucket and filled it with water from his canteen. Abelard finished the water and Halt handed him an apple while giving him an adoring pat on the neck. The horse pushed against his shoulder with his snout and Halt turned to look at the cabin. Crowley was inside and couldn't see him so he pulled out another apple from his pocket and fed it to Abelard. As he turned to go back inside he caught a movement from the corner of his eye. Without breaking pace or showing any appearance of having seen anything Halt assessed the area by moving his eyes. He couldn't see too well from the corner of his eye and didn't sense any trouble but he had the odd feeling that he had just witnessed something important.

Halt frowned but continued into the cabin. As he stepped through the threshold he was greeted with the smell of coffee and all troubling thoughts were dispelled. He took a deep breath and fought his way through piles of paper to a table that was scattered with reports and maps. The chairs were clear of anything and he assumed Crowley had just swept their contents onto the floor. He took his seat and accepted his mug as Crowley handed it to him and took his own seat.

"Where's the honey?" Halt asked a little confused. He couldn't fathom how Crowley could have forgotten to get him some honey.

"No need to ruin good coffee," Crowley said while barely hiding his grin.

"It can't be that good if you made it," Halt muttered darkly. Crowley faked offense as Halt took a sip of the dark liquid anyways. "It'd be better with honey," Halt said quietly to himself and Crowley smiled. His smile quickly faded as he remembered why he had called Halt here.

"Thanks for coming," Crowley said. Halt frowned at the sudden serious tone his friend had adopted.

"Don't think I had the option to say no," Halt responded. Crowley looked into the swirling contents of his mug without answering. "What aren't you telling me?" Halt asked, picking up on his friend's body language. Crowley looked up at him and gave a wan smile.

"I always wondered why we were friends Halt," he said amusedly. Halt frowned. "Until you went to Clonmel and revealed your relation with Ferris I never realized it," he continued before Halt could ask where this was going. "We both came from something we never wanted to be."

"What do you mean?" Halt asked, truly baffled. He set his coffee down on the table and leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest.

"You became a Ranger because you had loyalty to Araluen and you found it a tempting prospect to defend the country as your job and not receive any praise for it," Crowley stated. Halt nodded slowly. "I did it for the same reasons."

"What does this have to do with us being friends and me coming to take over for you?" Halt asked perplexed.

"We are friends because I understand you and to a certain extent you understand me. You ran away from your family and life whereas I was…" Crowley left the sentence hanging. He knew he had made the right choice in becoming a Ranger but talking about it made him uncomfortable. Halt raised his eyebrows. "I was disowned by a beast of a father because he felt being a Ranger was a pathetic thing for a man to become," Crowley finished and despite Halt being Halt, he showed a significant amount of surprise as his eyebrows shot higher than he would have let them in normal circumstances.

"Who?" Halt couldn't think of any better thing to ask as his anger and loyalty to his friend kicked in.

"Lord Feller," Crowley mumbled half hoping Halt wouldn't hear. Halt frowned and went to ask what this had to do with anything but Crowley beat him to it. "We left off on a…bad note about twenty-five years ago and now he's in Araluen."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Halt asked. It was none of his business he knew but he had thought that after the adventure in Clonmel they knew each other's history perfectly.

"Never really saw a need to go into something that would be best left alone. Feller is a beast. He only acts for himself and I gave up trying to be good enough." Crowley sighed, if he was going to have Halt take over for him he needed to give his friend the whole story. "One day I was in the forest practicing throwing knives and Pritchard came across me. He started giving me tips and it went from there; whenever I would come out in the woods to practice he would show up. But one day I came home and Feller had found out. We exchanged some words and I left on his promise to see me dead. A week after I had started to live with Pritchard we discovered that a boy with a resemblance to me had been mauled by a bear and Feller had convinced enough people it was me so that memory of me started to fade.

"Now he's here and I don't really think it'd be a good idea to meet again," Crowley finished. He avoided telling Halt of the incident a few days previous with his father and was glad to see his nose didn't look to awful. "You don't have to stay if you don't want to. It's my problem and I'll have to deal with it sometime or other."

"I'm already here, may as well stay," Halt said matter of factly. Even though Halt showed no emotion, Crowley knew that he understood what he was going through. "Besides, you're my commandant and my friend which makes this my problem." Crowley had to smile at that. It was so like Halt to dig his feet into troubled ground.

**Please review**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**This is in celebration of my summer begining:) **

Crowley stared up at the starlit sky and sighed. Sleep was evading him at the moment but he didn't mind as it gave him time to think. Halt had agreed to switch with him and he felt fondness towards his closest friend. He didn't have to do this but he had for the simple reason that Crowley had asked him to. Crowley's mind drifted lazily from one thought to the other and he finally reached the subject of Feller. Never had he been close to a good father to him. The baron had always shouted at him for doing things himself and not acting like what Feller considered a good ruler. But the baron had been good enough to him while he was an only child as he was his only chance of keeping the family in control of the fief, small as it was. Then Seth had been born when he was only six. He was too small to be taught Feller's ways but the baron had kept him close and influenced him; determined not to have him turn into another Crowley. By the time Crowley had reached fifteen the nine year old was almost an exact copy of his father. But by that time he was already with Pritchard. At the age of sixteen it was discovered that he wanted to be a Ranger and Feller had disowned him for that simple fact. It was despicable and Crowley couldn't fathom why he had done it besides the gain it would give him. If Crowley was disowned then supposedly found dead a week later it would leave the way open for Seth. The son Feller actually wanted.

Crowley had gotten over it quickly as he had never really loved his father and his mother had died shortly after he had left to live with Pritchard so when he was done with training he moved as far away from Candell as he could and started over. On his quest to start restoring the Corps he had come across Halt and the friendship had started there. Crowley smiled, if it wasn't for that friendship chances were that he would have been dead long ago. As minutes passed he gave up trying to sleep and stood up to go and get some coffee. He glanced at the indistinct figure in the fringes of the woods and smiled before going into the cabin.

He was about to pour the drink into his mug when he heard a noise outside. He stopped his task and listened intently. He faintly heard voices but his thoughts were stopped as he smelled something burning. He looked towards the coffee pot instinctively and saw nothing. He frowned; something was definitely burning. Looking around the cabin he didn't see anything and the voices had stopped as well so he shrugged the uneasy feeling off. He poured his coffee and sat down at the table before starting to drink the liquid. A few minutes later he jumped to his feet as smoke started to fill the cabin. Realizing what was happening he hurried out the door coughing. He heard somebody yelling his name as he stumbled down the steps.

* * *

Halt woke up to the smell of burning wood and Abelard's soft whinny. He was situated around ten meters away from the cabin under a tree in the fringes of the woods close to the building. He had had no desire to clean out a path to the bedroom in the cabin, sleep up in the castle and arouse suspicion or to sleep in a chair as Crowley had been so he had ended up making a small camp. He glanced at the small fire he had lit during the night to stay warm and frowned as he saw it was dead. Sensing something was amiss he stood quickly with his saxe drawn and made a calming gesture to his horse who stamped his hoof but silenced his whinnies. Halt turned to look at the cabin and stared. A large flame was burning and consuming the building. It lit up the dark sky making it seem all the more spectacular. Quickly his mind snapped into action and one word came to mind. Crowley. He had been sleeping in the chair claiming that it was better than 'roughing it under a tree'. Forgetting his bow he sprinted towards the cabin. With his saxe drawn.

"Crowley!" Halt yelled as he sprinted towards the mass of flames and smoke and was relieved to see Crowley stumbling out of the building and coughing. He continued to run towards his friend and when he reached him helped him gain distance away from the cabin.

"Halt," Crowley said once he finished coughing. He was standing a few meters away from the cabin and looked at Halt. "Get out of here. It was a trap. Feller must be close by; you need to leave." Halt was shaking his head before Crowley finished talking.

"I'm not leaving." Crowley frowned at Halt's statement. The blazing light from the cabin illuminated the man's face and gave him a somewhat heroic look.

"You have to. He's come to finish me off and he's not going to let me get away. If you stay he'll kill you as well. He can't have witnesses," Crowley said. Halt shook his head again.

"I won't leave," Halt stated. "If he's going to mess with you then he's going to mess with me." Crowley wanted to argue but had no time as they heard a hoof beats coming from their right and out of the trees. Crowley drew his saxe and regretted not grabbing his bow off the verandah as he had stumbled down the steps.

Halt was the first to do anything as the man rode towards them. Crowley was in the horse's path and Halt shoved him to the side so he was the one facing the charging mare. As the knight drew closer Halt unsheathed his throwing knife and braced his feet. Crowley went to stand up but one look from Halt made him stay. The knight rode closer and leveled his cavalry sword to remove Halt's head. The Ranger stood his ground and crossed his knives above his head as he ducked to avoid the blow. In the brief second that the blade was over his head Halt pushed up with the blades and successfully caught the man off balance. He went tumbling to the ground and Halt was upon him in a matter of seconds. Halt took one look at the man and barely gave a second glance as he snapped his neck and backed away.

Halt went back to Crowley who was standing and ready to fight. A second man was charging from the forest on foot and Halt stood between him and Crowley. The commandant went to sidestep Halt but Halt shook his head.

"They want you and no matter how much I want to send your head tumbling to the ground sometimes I don't fancy them doing it for me," Halt said and pushed Crowley back again. "Stay behind me or make a run for it." Crowley didn't like Halt defending him and he definitely didn't like the idea of running so he stood behind his friend ready to fight if it came down to it.

As Halt was busy fighting the second knight, Crowley glanced around. The cabin was roaring with fire and he saw yet another figure emerging from the forest. He looked back to Halt who was still busy fighting the experienced sword fighter before he ran off to receive the third man. He reached him and the knight took the ready position. They circled each other for a few seconds before he lunged towards Crowley. The commandant shook his head at the sloppy maneuver that he sidestepped. Quickly he drove the knife into the other man, silencing him immediately.

The commandant turned back to help Halt with his sense of helplessness fading. Halt was finishing with the knight and the fire was blazing fiercer than ever. The noise was close to deafening as all the reports, maps and books were consumed. He couldn't help but smile at the thought of all that burning. His smile faded as he returned to his surroundings and froze. Halt had finished with the knight and was breathing heavy with the effort it had taken him.

"Halt!" Crowley yelled as loud as he could but he was too late. With the noise of the fire blocking out all other noises Feller had come up behind Halt and raised his sword. Crowley started running towards the two.

Halt spun around at his friend's warning and was just in time to stop the baron's blade from lopping his head off. Instead it tore the skin off of his left arm. Halt gave a grunt of pain as the blood ran down his arm in tremendous amounts. Feller, taking advantage of Halt's delay, drove his sword point into Halt's calf. Halt fell to the ground and Feller raised the sword to kill him but before he could Crowley slammed into his side and caused them both to topple to the ground. Crowley was first to recover and slowly drew Feller away from the writhing form of Halt on the ground. Feller was emitting a low growl as he closed the distance between himself and his son. Crowley stopped suddenly and barely had time to gather himself before Feller went onto attack mode. He lunged at his son in a savage way.

Crowley was just in time to step out of the way. Feller glared at him as if angry that the commandant had the nerve to avoid being stabbed. The baron swung the sword in an arc towards his son's head and Crowley brought the knife in his left hand up to block it. It was sloppy but it kept his head on his shoulders. Almost too fast Feller lunged at Crowley again. This time when Crowley side stepped it, Feller lost his balance and stumbled forward. Crowley, believing it was another attack, lowered his own saxe and felt it drive into the baron's unprotected body. Feller fell to the ground as blood poured out of his side. The saxe knife dropped from Crowley's numb and shaking fingers as he stared at the man before him who was writhing on the ground much like Halt was. Even if he had tried to kill Crowley he still found it shocking and wrong that he had driven a knife into his father.

**Please review, it makes me smile:)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

Halt forced his heart back down his throat and to calm down. His calf was throbbing as if it had been severed off and it was bleeding about the same as well. He glanced down at it and felt a yell gathering in the back of his throat. He forced that down with his heart and took a deep breath to steady his nerves. When his wits had been gathered he looked down at the wound with his healer skills. Realizing that the best thing he could do right now would be to stop the flow of blood, he removed his cloak and grimaced as it rubbed against his ruined left arm. Carefully he raised his leg a bit and wrapped the cloak around it tightly. When the task was done he took several deep breaths to steady his nerves. He was all calmed down when the sound of weapons clashing rang out above the roar of the fire. He looked towards where the noise had come from and watched as Feller jabbed at Crowley and Crowley neatly sidestepped. Assembling his strength he hefted himself up and started an awkward run towards the combatants already knowing he would be too late.

He was halfway there when Feller jabbed yet again and lost his balance and Crowley braced the knife in his hands causing Feller to impale himself upon it. Halt heard hoof beats not too far off and knew that a party was probably coming to see what the fire was about. Looking back to Crowley he saw how bad the situation would look to somebody who just arrived. The Ranger Commandant was standing over an almost dead figure of a baron while there were four dead bodies of knights lying around them. Even if Crowley was a Ranger, killing a baron, even if he was a pathetic ninny, was a crime worthy of death. Halt weighed his options, he could sit by and watch as Crowley was taken into custody and tried. The king would surely believe him but with no witnesses or evidence playing to his side Duncan couldn't do too much to go easy on him. Or he could take the blame for this. Halt thought about it as he rushed towards his friend. Crowley was the commandant and was more important than Halt. If he ended up dead then Halt would most likely become the commandant and he knew he couldn't do that knowing he could have stopped his friend from being killed. He set his mouth in a determined line as he charged into Crowley. Crowley stumbled away a little bit but stayed frozen.

"Go!" Halt yelled as he grabbed the knife off the ground. Crowley stayed frozen. "Get out of here! Get the horses and go back to the castle!" Halt yelled as loud as he could over the roaring of the fire. Crowley snapped out of his trance.

"I'm not leaving Halt," he stated. "They came for me and I…I may have just killed Feller. You can't do this," he argued. They both glanced towards the path leading to the castle as the hoof beats and shouts grew louder. Halt turned back to the commandant.

"I can do this and I will! Now leave! This is no time for Chivalry!" he shouted in an angry tone. Crowley, knowing not to argue with an angry Halt, started to run away towards Halt's small camp where the horses were. He glanced back at Halt several times debating whether to disobey him or not. In the end he reasoned that Halt knew what he was doing and he picked up his pace towards the horses.

Halt looked back at the figure before him. Feller had stopped moving but his breath was coming in ragged breaths. The Ranger felt his head getting dizzy from the loss of blood and started to sway. The last thing he remembered before passing out was being roughly shoved aside from the body of the baron and then being seized by several pairs of hands and being forced to drop the knife. After that it was complete darkness.

* * *

Halt opened his eyes blearily and looked at his surroundings. He looked to be in some sort of infirmary, and not a very clean one at that. The room was lit with evenly spaced torches on the walls as there were no windows to provide natural light. Beside him a meter or so away was another person on a mat. Halt frowned as he saw the restraints on the other man's wrists and ankles. As he tried to sit up he realized that he had the same kind of restraints. Halt lay back down and tried to sort through what was going on. The last thing he remembered was being practically tackled by a mass of bodies and being forced to drop the knife Crowley had used to stab Feller then he had blacked out. Halt shifted as three large figures made their way towards him. Without warning one of the figures clubbed him in the side of the head so he was disoriented.

"Grab him before he gets his brains about him," a gruff voice rumbled and Halt realized that the other man had undone the chains that had held him down. One pair of hands grabbed his right arm roughly and another went to grab his injured left arm which had been bandaged.

"You touch my arm and I'll cut your ear off," Halt growled. It wasn't much of a threat seeing as he wasn't exactly in any position to fight so the man gave a wolfish grin and clamped onto his left arm with enough force to make Halt have a constant burning pain but not so much that he couldn't bear it.

As the sentries pulled him out of the room he had been treated in, Halt took in their appearances in the dim light. Their clothing was grubby, no doubt due to the fact that they probably worked down here in the dungeons dealing with uncooperative prisoners. They each had shaved heads and Halt mused how the lack of hair, dingy clothes and muscular arms made them look more like thugs than castle inhabitants.

The men dragged him up countless stairs until they reached a room with large windows and a more comforting feel than the dank room he had just been in. To the right of the opening of the stairwell was a desk and situated behind it was another guard. He eyed the small party as if searching each of their minds to determine if they were up to anything. Finally he gave a curt nod and the man that wasn't dragging Halt walked forwards and out of the room with the other two dragging Halt along behind. They twisted and turned in the corridors of the castle and Halt, in his disoriented state, couldn't keep track of all of the different paths they took. After a while of walking however, Halt knew where they were heading. They were just passing the throne room where trials were held and right above it was the King's Quarters. The goons heaved Halt further along the passage to another stairwell. The Ranger was pulled up it and at the top it opened up into a smaller corridor with doors on either side. Halfway down were two elaborate double doors with a leopard's head carved above them and standing on either side of the doors were two guards with their spears crossed to block the approaching men's passage. After a brief exchange they were allowed through. Halt was shoved rudely into the room and his two entourages left while the third took a position behind Duncan who was seated comfortably in a large cushioned chair.

"Oh Halt," he sighed as the Ranger slid painfully into a chair facing him.

**Please review, tell me what you think so far. Did it seem like Halt? Are there many mistakes? Is it believable? Is it boring? Tell me what you think, good or bad**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

"Good day Your Majesty," Halt said as he looked around the room. Taking up most of the wall to his left was a large fireplace with a few smoldering coals glowing in it at the moment. The light from the embers combined with the torches placed on the walls made up for the lack of windows in the area. The chamber was highly decorated with plush chairs and tapestries while the floor was covered in elaborate rugs, no doubt made of the finest material and hand woven. After the pain had eased in his calf and arm, Halt brought his eyes back to the king who was looking at him with obvious concern.

"Halt," King Duncan said as he looked at the Ranger. The bandage on Halt's calf was gradually turning red. It had been only a day since Halt was placed in the dungeon infirmary but the sight of blood soaking through the linen caused worry to go through him for his friend. The bandage on the Ranger's arm was red as well and Duncan made a mental note to talk to the men who had dragged him up here about that because he doubted that the healers would have let him leave with a badly bleeding arm like that. "Are you okay?" he asked, not caring if it was formal or not.

"Just great," Halt muttered. It was far from the truth and Duncan saw it. Or at least he saw some of what was troubling the Ranger. The king saw the physical pain but not the mental strain. Halt still stood by his option to take the knife from Crowley but it was still a burden. Nobody could know that Crowley had been the one that slipped the saxe into Feller and Halt felt a weight of responsibility for his friend's safety settle on his back. And he realized that he'd have to watch out for himself as well.

"You sure? Do you want me to get a healer in here to bandage that back up?" Duncan asked as the linen lost all trace of white. Halt gave grim smile and thought about how the king only knew half of what was hurting him.

"I'm fine," Halt said curtly as pain lanced through his leg and arm. Duncan went to respond but stopped.

"You've gotten yourself in quite a bit of trouble," Duncan said slowly and a little sympathetically. His mind brought up the memories of what had happened many years ago when Will had been captured. The king dispelled the thoughts and inwardly chastised himself for thinking like that; it wouldn't help matters. Halt didn't answer. "Baron Feller is in critical care in the infirmary and we're not sure if he's going to make it," Duncan said softly. Halt showed no sign of regret.

"And that might just turn out to be for the best," Halt said defiantly. Duncan looked at the man with little shock. He knew Halt to well to be surprised by his open dislike of Feller. He himself wasn't too fond of the man.

"It might be, but that doesn't make up for what you did. He is a baron after all," Duncan answered somberly. Halt just gave a slight shrug.

"I don't regret it Your Majesty. So if you're looking for me to beg for mercy I'm sorry to disappoint you." Halt looked into the king's eyes and all Duncan saw in the Ranger was a shield hiding what he was thinking.

"I'm not asking for that." Duncan paused to gather his thoughts. "I sent word to Redmont about this matter and got a reply saying Arald a few others should be here within a week for the trial. Halt, I trust you and I know you. This doesn't seem like something you would do. Others, however, don't know you and because of this they believe the myths surrounding Rangers and are ready to accept that what you've done is natural. That fact coupled with your past of defiance and known aversion of the law paint a pretty bad picture. And all of that combined with the fact that we found you standing over the dying figure of Feller with a bloody knife don't do anything to help you.

"As there were no witnesses we searched for evidence and we found indication that Feller had been dragged from his quarters and to the cabin. Our guards claim that they did see Feller leaving the castle with a rather short and mysterious figure about an hour before they spotted the fire. It isn't looking too good for you," the King said sullenly. At the moment he believed what he had been told about Halt's actions and therefore didn't think that it had happened any other way. He looked at Halt searching for any show of emotion but found none. Duncan was puzzled to say the least. He didn't trust Feller so much but he knew his guards were loyal and their accounts were worth taking into consideration. And the signs of struggle in the baron's quarters were nothing to sneeze at. The thing that troubled him most however was a motive. From everything that he had found out the only thing missing was a motive of Halt's. "Halt, I can't overlook any of these things even though I don't think they are too trustworthy. But there is one thing missing that might help me decide what's true. I need to know if you have any animosity with Feller."

Based on what the King had said, Halt saw that Feller had gone all out to make it look like he was the victim. And he had done it quite well. Halt knew he couldn't lie to the king and just accept the lie Feller had fed him but he couldn't just contradict all the evidence that had been found and expect Duncan to just believe it. The king trusted his Rangers more than anything but in a situation like this, word would get out fast about the evidence and if Duncan just discarded all of that and believed Halt's story he would have real trouble on his hands. There was one bright spot that Halt saw. Duncan didn't even suspect Crowley had anything to do with this.

"Yes, I have a thing against Feller," Halt said strongly and knew when the king slumped his shoulders that chances were definitely not going to go in his favor anytime soon.

"What do you have against him?" Duncan queried. Halt's eyes grew hard.

"It isn't my choice to tell you," he answered. Crowley had told him about the disownment in privacy and confidence that Halt wouldn't go off blabbing about it and Halt couldn't abuse that trust that Crowley had given him. "I can tell you however that Feller was the one that attacked us. I was at the cabin and woke up to the smell of fire and saw the cabin burning. Feller went to attack my commandant so I stuck him with the knife," Halt said; it wasn't the complete truth but he felt a need to keep Crowley away from all of this. In his mind, if he got Crowley involved in this whole matter then he would have failed his friend and his commandant.

The king went back to the faith he had in his Rangers. Especially Halt. If he said that this was how it had happened then Duncan put much belief into it. But there wasn't anything to support Halt's defense in this affair and therefore Duncan couldn't do too much to help the Ranger.

"I trust you Halt, but do you have any proof to back yourself up?" Duncan watched as Halt shook his head and felt his heart drop. He wasn't looking forward to when the Redmont party arrived. "Halt, I won't be able to assist you this time around," Duncan said, remembering how he had twisted the law last time so Halt could return to Araluen. "I'll have to do what's right for the law and treat this like I would any other case brought before me."

"I wouldn't expect anything else from you," Halt stated.

"I'm sorry Halt."

"Don't be," the Ranger said and gave another grim smile. "Let's face it; we all knew I was going to end like this." Halt couldn't figure out a way out of his current position and the best way he found to deal with it was to laugh at it, otherwise he would be tearing himself up. Duncan gave a small smile but wasn't to amused by what Halt had said.

**I want to make something clear first. Somebody mentioned how Crowley would never abandon Halt and trust me, he hasn't. Tell me if you thought this to be believable and if there was anything that was terrible/good:) Have a nice day and try not to get mauled by paperclips**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**somebody asked if Will was going to be in this...I don't know quite yet maybe a brief meeting with Halt but not a main character**

Halt's mind jumped out of his dream state as he heard a board creak under somebody's weight close to his bed. His first instinct was to open his eyes and see who it was but the Ranger kept his eyes closed and his breathing even to maintain the appearance of sleep. Under the king's urging he had been placed in a room in the royal infirmary where they would take better care of his arm and calf but seeing as he was a prisoner, two guards had been posted outside his room. There was no reason for them to come into the room however. Halt sighed deeply; he knew who it would be when he opened his eyes and he wasn't sure if he wanted to see him or not. Only one person would have reason to be here and seeing as Feller's men were dead and Feller was in no condition to go snooping around the infirmary trying to kill people, that only left one man. Slowly he opened his eyes and looked to his right.

"Hullo Crowley. What brings you here?" he said a little tiredly.

"You're not going to do this," the commandant stated. Halt raised an eyebrow.

"I think I already am." Halt sat up in the bed he was lying in so he could look at Crowley without having to crane his neck. The commandant's eyes warned Halt not to argue but he ignored the sign. The rest of his features were hidden in the shadow of his cloak but Halt would be willing to bet that his mouth was pressed into a determined line.

"No Halt. Feller set everything up so it looks like I…you…whoever, kidnapped him! We have nothing in our defense and you're going to get executed!" Crowley's voice had risen in volume and he checked himself before he got too rowdy. "I'm not going to let you do this. I was the one that stabbed him and I'm not going to let you die for me," he said in a harsh whisper.

"You honestly think you can just go and convince them that you were the one who stabbed him? Crowley, I've gone to see Duncan and I confessed to stabbing him. If you go and tell him you did it, he's just going to take it as an attempt to help me," Halt replied flatly and in the same whisper. Crowley glared at him for a long moment. Halt was debating whether to push his advantage or not.

"Why?" Crowley's question came out of nowhere and for a moment Halt was puzzled as to what the man was referring to.

"If you die then the whole Corps will be messed up. We'll have to elect a new commandant and get Duncan to approve of them. It'd cause trouble and the Corps can't have trouble," Halt answered. "If I die then Will would take over Redmont and the matter would be easy to move on from."

"No Halt, it wouldn't. And I know that you know that. Tell me the real reason," Crowley demanded. Halt looked his friend in the eyes; he didn't really want to say the real reason but he also knew if he didn't then he wouldn't be able to convince Crowley that he had to do this.

"Because this is what brothers do for each other," Halt said. Crowley looked at him a little confused. "Ferris only ever wanted to see me dead. He wasn't a brother; he was a power hungry coward. He tried to kill me whereas you saved me like a real brother would have. I know what it's like to have a family member that wants you dead. I was lucky that Ferris and I didn't get into something like this but now you're in something big and I'm gonna help you out. I need to help you out; you're my brother and you've saved me more times than I can count," Halt stated with a definite tone.

"You've saved me before Halt. You've more than made up for all the times I saved you. This time it's my problem. I have to be the one on trial and I have to be the one that's killed if it comes to that." Crowley's tone was dead serious and left no room for argument but Halt pushed on.

"No. It's too late anyways. Even if Duncan does believe you, which is very unlikely, you're going to need proof. And even if you get that I'm still going to die for lying to the king," Halt retorted. "And like I said, they need you more than they need me."

"What about Pauline, Halt? Huh? And what about Will? I'll never be able to face them knowing that I got you killed. Hell, I won't even be able to live with myself! You have a family that needs you. Sure, the Corps needs me for the moment but you could easily take that over and run it smoothly. I won't be able to replace you as a husband and a father!" Crowley raged.

To this Halt had no reply. He looked away from his angry friend and studied the dim room around him. His bed was a simple affair and there was only one window high up on the wall. Besides the bed, a stool and a small table, the room was empty. The Ranger took a deep breath. Crowley had an excellent point and Halt thought back to his goodbye with Pauline and huffed. So much for not getting in trouble he mused. Finally he decided on a course of action to get Crowley to leave; it wasn't what he wanted to do but it was required. Halt switched his eyes back to look at the Ranger standing over him with his arms crossed.

"If you want to take my place, fine. Go ahead. But remember this. Remember that I lied to Duncan and convinced him that I was the one that stabbed Feller. I've probably worried Pauline to death and if Duncan doesn't sentence me to be beheaded then Pauline will kill me. And remember that if you do this then we're both going to die. I've gone through a lot of trouble to do this for you and you're just going to force me to give that all up and let you take the blame for this," Halt said angrily. He watched as Crowley's glare turned deadly and sighed inwardly. Although he didn't like doing this he had to if he was to get Crowley to back off. "Just get out Crowley. Go off and hide in the forest or wherever the hell you've been for the past day. Go and wait it out until this whole thing is over so you can feel sorry for yourself. Then when daddy gets better you can hide from him as well," Halt snarled.

Crowley, surprised at Halt's sudden anger, returned in kind.

"Maybe I will," he said in a low threatening voice. "So much for brothers huh? A brother would let me take the blame for what I did and try and help me find evidence of Feller's set up. You say I'm feeling sorry for myself? I'm not the one going on about all that I've lost and all that I'm about to lose. For the past day I've been worried sick about you but I couldn't do anything unless I wanted to get us both killed!" Crowley checked his voice again. "Fine, take all the blame. And just to let you know, you're right. Without you, nothing momentous would change. We could move on pretty well," Crowley added before he stormed towards the door. He slipped silently past the drowsy guards and soon was lost in the shadows of the hallway.

Halt watched him leave and gave a deep sigh as he leaned down in the bed to look at the bare ceiling. That was definitely not how he had wanted that to go but it had been necessary. Crowley would have kept pestering him until he agreed to tell the truth and if he needed to avoid anything, he needed to avoid that.

"Great," he mumbled to himself. "Just great."

**Uh oh...reviews?**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

Crowley slid through the shadows of the dark castle and eventually made it to his study. Quietly he slipped inside and closed the door behind him. He looked around the room carelessly. It was basically just as he had left it with papers lying on every flat surface available and the bookshelves stuffed with old volumes. The light from the full moon shone in through the windows and gave the room a somewhat eerie feeling. He shoved the stuff off of his chair and sat down at his overflowing desk. There were several new reports sitting on top of his old papers and as he leaned back into his chair, he picked up the newest one. At the top was the day's date and as he read on he found he couldn't concentrate. Compared to what had just happened a thief seemed like a pointless thing to read about. He set the report down and drummed his fingers on his desk crossly.

He was still angry with Halt beyond a doubt. Something in the back of his mind told him it was pointless to be angry with him though. The man was going to die for him after all but that was the problem as well as the solution. Crowley had always tried to be his best to be honest and not to turn into his father but now he felt as if he had failed that. Letting Halt die for him in this way was something he saw his father doing. He had been the one to stab Feller and Halt, being who he was, had taken the blame and it was tearing the commandant apart. Crowley slammed his hand against the desktop in annoyance. This whole situation was hopeless. Halt wasn't going to let him take his place and that above all else was what was angering the commandant. He didn't see why Halt was so bent up on dying for him. Thinking back through his life he could remember all he had done for Halt but it barely rivaled what the man had done for him; he didn't get why Halt wanted to do something this drastic even if he was a commandant.

Crowley sighed and stood up. He turned to look out the tall windows that lent moonlight to the room and frowned as he thought back to the fight. Halt's sudden anger had been odd. Sure, he knew he probably struck a nerve with mentioning Pauline and Will but even then it wasn't right. A wave of rage went through him as he realized Halt had played him and he had done exactly what Halt had wanted him to do in storming out and leaving him to his own devices.

"Dammit Halt," he cursed and slammed his hands on the windowsill. He gazed out at the perfect courtyard and cursed a few more times before getting control of himself. "You're still not gonna die for me you little bastard," he said to himself as he turned back to the desk and sought out a report that he knew was going to be there. He lifted it up and studied it for a moment. At the top was the king's crest and below that was Halt's name and an account of what was going on with his case. He looked at it for a moment before tearing it in half twice and tossing the pieces into an overflowing trashcan. It wasn't going to change anything but it was a start. With that he started back out the door with a destination in mind.

* * *

Feller's eyes drifted open and he was suddenly aware of a sharp pain coursing through his body from a spot between his ribs on the left. He had been unconscious for most the day, only coming to every once in a while and only for a few minutes at a time. Unlike Halt, he had been placed in the royal infirmary immediately and in an unguarded room fit for his position. Judging from the little light coming in through the windows, he guessed it was night. He let his sight glide to the right side of his bed where he knew his assistant would be. The man was sleeping and anger flashed through the baron.

"Wake up," he croaked weakly. The assistant shifted his head in his sleep but other than that there was no change. Feller looked at his surroundings. Beside the bed was the chair his assistant was dozing in as well as a little stand where a glass of water stood. Mustering all the strength he could, Feller raised a hand and gave the nightstand a little shove. The glass toppled to the floor with a clatter that woke the grey haired assistant.

The helper jumped out of his chair and looked around the room. Satisfied that nobody was around, he settled back into the chair and looked at Feller. The baron was in very bad mood by the looks of it and he was glaring at the man beside him as if he had done something wrong.

"M…my Lord?" he asked worriedly; it was never a good thing when Feller was angry. The baron didn't answer; he had little energy and he needed it to get a conversation out. When he felt the man was thoroughly worried he turned his gaze away from him.

"What happened to the Ranger?" he said weakly. Feller frowned as he looked back to the man beside him. He was avoiding the baron's eyes.

"It seems as if his friend is taking the fall for him," he said then hesitated. "My Lord, why do you want this man dead?" The assistant had a suspicion of who Crowley was but based on his earlier conversation with the baron he had decided to leave the matter alone. Now, however, the man was laid up and couldn't do much harm to him.

Feller glared at him. The baron was used to being what his men were terrified of; fear was something he relied upon to run his fief efficiently. Now he realized that in his condition he wasn't much of a threat and therefore couldn't be too much of a scare.

"I am just doing my job Matthew," Feller answered feebly yet threateningly. Matthew gulped and gave a small nod; he didn't want to anger the baron for if he got better, he would surely remember the conversation. "So his little snooper friend decided to take the fault did he?" Matthew nodded and was surprised to see Feller's lips curl into a cruel smile. "Crowley will never let that happen. Two for the price of one," he said in an oddly content voice. Matthew shifted in his chair, unsure of what was happening but relieved that Feller wasn't in such a black mood.

**Please review. I don't want to hear praise as much as I want to hear critisism**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**I didn't think I'd get to this before Wednesday but I did:) Anywho, here ye go**

Crowley tapped his foot impatiently on the ground as he waited for the King. It was an hour or so after midnight and Crowley had had to scare the guard into awakening the king for this meeting. It had to be discussed now so he could move on; otherwise it would be too late. Around five minutes later a door behind the desk in the room opened and King Duncan walked into the room in semi-formal attire. He looked tired and Crowley felt a little guilty at waking him at such a late hour but his remorse faded as his priority came to mind. The king took his seat across from Crowley much like he had with Halt when discussing evidence earlier. The king stifled a yawn while taking in the anxious Ranger. He noticed a slight movement as Crowley tapped his leg and could see his mouth set in a determined line but other than that nothing was defined in the weak light.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure?" Duncan said with his usual humor. He had a feeling Crowley was here for something important but what he knew not.

"Sorry to have to wake you, Your Majesty, but I need to discuss something of importance with you," Crowley answered. His voice was steady but his leg kept the bouncing movement, a sign of his restlessness.

"It's only sleep," Duncan said in a somewhat dark manner. It had been quite a long day and he wasn't too happy to have been woken. "So what brings you here?" he continued.

"I need to go to Candell fief," Crowley stated. "Things are not looking bright for Lord Feller and the fief will most likely be in a state of confusion at the moment so I thought that I could go check in and make sure there's order," he added. Earlier in the day he had heard rumors about Feller and none seemed promising that he would live much longer.

"I'm sure it's nothing the fief's Ranger can't handle," Duncan said drowsily.

"No, Your Majesty, I think it would be best if I went. Yes, Nick is a very talented Ranger but not in what is required here. He is excellent in keeping crime rates down and all that but this is a legal matter and as you very well know, Rangers aren't too accomplished in the area of politics. I, however, know the workings for what would need to happen and I believe that it would be best if I went," Crowley stated. Duncan rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and thought for a moment.

"What about Halt's trial? The Redmont party should arrive in four days and it will take you at least four days for a round trip if you ride at Ranger's march pace to get to Candell. We need you at the trial; not only that but I was going to call you in tomorrow for questioning on the subject. Halt mentioned that you were present at the stabbing; in fact he said that you were the reason he stabbed Lord Feller. That makes you a witness and it would be best if you were there. Not only that but I would think you would want to be there for Halt," Duncan answered and frowned. Something was up but his groggy mind couldn't sort through it at the moment.

"Just question me now then so I can be on my way. Araluen can't really have one fief in a state of disarray. Confusion will take over and with confusion will come panic and with panic comes fear. No matter how small a fief Candell is, fear there could spread to other fiefs and just cause a lot of unwanted and unneeded trouble," Crowley said. It seemed a good reason to him but Duncan frowned again.

"What about the trial? I would have thought you would be there for Halt." Duncan sat forward in his chair with his tiredness fading. Now that his mind was somewhat unclouded he knew something was wrong.

"I really do want to be there but I am a Ranger first and foremost. My duty is to help keep this kingdom in order and therefore Candell is my top priority," Crowley answered easily. Duncan's frown deepened. "So what do you need to ask me?" Crowley inquired before Duncan could ask more about why he wanted to go.

"Right," he said distractedly. "Well I need your account of what happened," he continued in a less troubled voice.

"Well, I was at the cabin sorting through the mountains of papers when Halt showed up. He stayed the night but seeing as the cabin is in no way an acceptable place to sleep, he set up a small camp in the fringes of the woods surrounding the cabin. I couldn't get to sleep so I went to make myself a cup of coffee and while I was drinking it I started to smell smoke. I got out of the cabin when I realized it was on fire and met Halt but before we could exchange any pleasantries, a rider came out of the forest and attacked us," Crowley recalled. He avoided mentioning the skirmish he and Feller had had a few days previously. "We had to face Feller's knights before he came out to meet us himself."

"On that note I have a few questions," Duncan said. Crowley nodded. "What was Halt doing here?"

"I called him here to discuss a possible mission," Crowley lied. He hoped the king wouldn't ask for specifics and felt relieved when Duncan merely nodded. The affairs of the Corps weren't completely his business. They would report to him what needed to be spoken about but not much more. Many times a Ranger was dispatched on a mission without his input.

"But what were you two doing down at the cabin? You would have been more than welcome to stay here at the castle."

"Well you know Halt; he's not much of a people person. I thought it better if we just stayed down there," the commandant said. "I've been spending my time down there because I needed a break from all of this," he added. "Some of these nobles can be a little uppity." Duncan nodded again though he looked a little unconvinced.

"You mentioned that Lord Feller attacked you." Crowley nodded, his panic rising again. "And was that how he ended up getting stabbed?" Crowley nodded again. The commandant felt terrible for lying and accepting the story Halt had come up with but he knew this was Halt's last chance and he needed to do this in order to save him. Duncan sighed. "One more thing," he said.

"Anything Your Majesty," Crowley said formally.

"Do you have any association or hostility with Lord Feller?" Crowley felt his stomach fall into his feet. No way could he lie about this but if he told the truth he was going to make this mess a whole lot worse.

"I can honestly say I'm not fond of the man and I can say that I've been tempted to remove his head on several occasions but I've never done anything about it. And I can say I've met him before a long time ago when training with Pritchard," Crowley said, avoiding his true association with the baron without lying. The king frowned.

"I believe your account of things Crowley. I believe that Lord Feller would attack you but there seems to be no reason for him to have done so whereas there is proof that Halt did do it. Everybody is aware of his unlawful ways and sometimes short temper. It's not pointing in the right direction for him. Your say on things matches what he told me basically but there is one difference," he said a little ponderously. Crowley motioned for him to go on. "Halt told me that it wasn't his place to tell him what he had against Feller. I have a suspicion that it has something to do with you. Are you sure there is nothing else between you and him?"

"Well, Your Majesty, when I was apprenticed to Pritchard and I met Lord Feller, we weren't exactly warm towards each other. He isn't exactly the likeable kind," Crowley responded, carefully avoiding the question's specifics. Duncan eyed him but gave a slight nod.

"I wish I could do more to help you but there's nothing to defend Halt. Ranger's words are highly trustworthy to me, I assure you, but the people have different opinions," Duncan said somberly.

"I understand. Now, may I have leave to go to Candell?" Crowley prompted. In the low light Crowley watched as the king's face contorted in thought.

Duncan frowned as his uneasy feeling about Crowley's request came back. Crowley and Halt went back a long ways and he knew from experience that they rarely left each other in these kinds of situations. Crowley knew that Halt was most likely going to be condemned to death and it made no sense for him to just leave Halt. Duncan frowned deeper and looked back at the commandant. Nothing about his decision made any sense and that's what felt odd.

"Crowley, I'm warning you. Things don't look good for Halt as it is; don't go mixing things up further." Duncan could have sworn that Crowley gave a slight smile.

"I make no promises. I am a Ranger after all," he responded while standing and making his way to the door. "Have a nice night Your Majesty, you won't regret this," he added before he slipped out the door.

"This should be interesting," Duncan mumbled once the door to the room swung shut.

**The next chapter isn't going to be much action but it will explain a few things I hope...after that more action will pick up and it won't be so hum drum. Again, there must be something bad in here:)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**Okay, this is just a filler so you all know what Crowley's doing and all that. I'm hoping to have more action in the next chapter soooo...here you go for now**

Crowley sighed for the millionth time in the past ten minutes and again wondered why tonight of all nights it was raining. For the past two weeks it hadn't rained at all and it seemed as if the clouds had been holding in all their water specifically to torture the commandant on this night. His cloak had long past given up protecting him from the rain and he shivered as a stream ran down his back. In the east, he could start to see a hazy light through the downpour signaling that morning was going to be upon him soon. He looked over his shoulder unnecessarily and saw with no surprise that Cropper was still following him while he rode on Abelard. As soon as he had left the King's room, he had grabbed the two rucksacks he had packed earlier along with his extra bow and arrows and gone to the stables and saddled the two horses so he could make the normal four day ride to Candell in around two or three at forced march pace. Abelard was an old friend to him as he had been on many missions with Halt in the past and on one in particular the need for them to have to share their horse's passcodes had come up. Neither had any problem with it and Crowley was grateful for it now.

As he passed a somewhat sheltered spot from the rain, he stopped Abelard and dismounted stiffly. He was on a muddy track that wound through the country away from main roads and towns. The route would be faster to travel by and it would avoid him having to pass through large towns where questions might be asked of his presence. The only downside was the lack of comfortable sleeping spots. As he led the horses a meter or two off the side of the track and under the cover of the trees, he scanned the area to make sure nobody was following them. After brushing the horses down and giving them some grain, he sat down on the damp ground against a tree. His position was behind a large bush and a few thick trees where he could see the track well enough to have warning of approach but still be hidden from prying eyes. It had only been a few hours of riding but he was already beginning to get the familiar aches in his bum, thighs and back. For as long as he had been commandant, he hadn't had to go on long missions that required lots of riding and un-comfortableness. It was an added perk to the position.

After a few minutes of grousing, he took a sip of water and bit into the apple he had removed from the pack while mulling over the situation. This was Halt's last hope as far as he could tell. There was definitely not going to be anything to prove Halt was innocent directly but there was something that would help his case immensely. Crowley had moved to Araluen to get far away from Candell but he had always kept an eye on it. Feller had never been a trustworthy man and therefore the commandant had had good reasons to be suspicious when Feller disappeared a few weeks before the war with Morgorath had started. Later, he had discovered faint hints that Feller had turned over to the dark lord and left Seth in command of the fief while he served as an assassin. The clues were faint and not completely dependable but something told Crowley that it was true. It was so much like Feller to do so as it would guarantee him immunity if Morgorath had won. And leaving Seth in control of the fief would keep him safe if Duncan won because there had been so much confusion in the weeks before the war that many had believed that Feller had gone to help plan the war effort in other areas while Seth took control. If he could prove that Feller had been an assassin before and had gotten away with all his murders, it would make his word completely worthless and many would accept Halt's account without question. The only problem was he didn't know what he could find to show Feller had been an assassin.

After a few more minutes, he sighed again and looked up at the tree limbs above him. They were thrashing in the high wind and causing water to cascade down onto him. Wiping water out of his eyes, he stood up and stretched then walked over to where Cropper and Abelard stood. He packed the canteen away and frowned as he thought of the long day he had ahead of him. As he swung up onto his own horse, he grunted in pain as his sore muscles were forced to work again. Cropper started forwards and Abelard followed close behind as they headed east towards Candell fief. When it was time to walk the horses, Crowley dismounted, stretched a little and started off again in a worse mood than before. He was freezing and the rain showed no sign of easing. As he was trudging up a steep incline in the trail, he heard a rumble followed by a flash.

"You better not die before I get back Halt," he muttered darkly along with a few curses as the rain came down in larger amounts. He sighed deeply and trudged on with the horses behind him only to hit a slick spot and fall face first into the mud. "Dammit," he cursed and stood up again. "The things I go through," he grumbled and was surprised to see Cropper watching him with an amused look. After he had glared sufficiently at the horse, he continued on.

The rest of the day went by and when he stopped at twilight the rain was starting to ease and the thunder had stopped completely. Crowley felt his spirits lighten considerably. He dismounted and went off the track a few meters until he found a suitable place to set up camp for the night. He knew he should probably push on until he could no longer see the trail but he was too tired and if he was tired it wouldn't help Halt in any way. The horses, that had been following him as he sought out a place, started munching on the grass as he unpacked what he needed and set up a small camp. When he was done he brushed each of them down and gave them water and a few apples. Realizing a fire would be a bad move; he curled up inside his small tent and studied the map he had. Judging by the landmarks he had noticed earlier that was mapped on the chart, he estimated he was about half a day of hard riding away from Candell. He sighed and rolled up the map then lay on his back thinking.

"This should be fun," he muttered as he drifted to sleep.

**Review please:)...I want to hear if there are any mistakes and your least favorite part and all that as usual if you would...thanks:) **


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**I think this has a bit more action, nothing drastic but it's needed...**

Crowley woke with a start. He had been in one of the dreams that had plagued him for the past few days since the fight at the cabin. This particular dream was worse than the others for the simple reason that it had pointed out all his present worries and not just his fear of failure. Normally the dreams would show him Halt looking at him with a disappointed look and then Will and Pauline blaming him for his best friend's death but this one had been much worse. In this he had actually seen Halt's head being removed from his body because he, Crowley, hadn't made it back in time and hadn't gotten any evidence of Feller's bad deed therefore letting Halt die in shame. As if that hadn't been enough, the chilling image of his friend's dead form had been accompanied by King Duncan, Will and Pauline's voices shouting abuse at him and then been followed with the smirking face of Feller. The commandant took a shuddering breath and shook his head to dispel the lasting impressions of the nightmare. Thinking about it wouldn't solve anything. As he looked about at his surroundings, he noticed that it was still dark out but one look out the tent flap told him it was only an hour or so before dawn came. Due to the recent experience, he wasn't too ravenous but forced himself to take a few sips of water and eat a piece of jerky before he started to repack his gear and head out.

As he was finishing with the packing, he glanced around the small area he had spent the night. The mighty trees towered above him on all sides and there was no distinguishable path back to the road although he knew how to find his way back. It was still dark but the sky was gradually starting to lighten and as the commandant thought back to his dream, he decided it was time to get a move on. He really didn't want those dreams to come true. Deciding to start off with Abelard, Crowley saddled the horse and mounted. He grimaced as his stiff muscles were forced to move again into the now familiar sitting position. He muttered a few curses before tapping Abelard's sides and urging him into the forced march pace that he had been traveling at with Cropper following.

It was around noon when he crested the small knoll on Cropper and sighted Candell. He looked down into the valley and smiled. Where the hill flattened at the bottom and the forest started to thin out be the start of the farmlands and beyond that was the small village that lay at the foot of Candell Castle. The entire place was surrounded by wooded hills that made it seem all the smaller. Candell was perhaps the smallest fief in all of Araluen, barely able to call itself a fief, but it had some of the best soil in the country and was therefore a good farming province. Looking down onto the place he once called home, memories started to surface but before they could dominate his mind, he tapped Copper's sides and urged him down the hill.

"Now the fun begins," he said with a sigh.

Halt looked up at the ceiling and sighed. He was lying on his bed in the same room he had been kept in since his meeting with the king and was doing what he had done most lately, thinking. He wasn't used to this kind of confinement and over the past few days he had been forced to accept the fact that he was a prisoner; an outlaw even. A day and a half had passed since his argument with Crowley and he hadn't seen or heard from him since. With all the time he had on his hands he had constantly remembered their harsh words. He had only acted to get Crowley to leave him be but, with no chance to ask the commandant, he could only hope Crowley had come to his senses and realized it had been an act. Halt was debating whether or not to eat the small lunch the guards had brought to him when the sound of shouting reached his ears. Frowning, he sat up and looked towards the door where the noise seemed to come from. As he listened closely he could make out the words that were being said.

"You can't go in," a gruff voice said. Halt assumed it was one of his guards.

"I damn well can!" This voice was vaguely familiar but with it being muffled by the door, Halt couldn't place it. "Do you have any clue who I am?" the voice yelled. Its owner sounded furious and Halt's brow creased as he got out of his bed and stood up to face the door. The Redmont party wasn't due for another day or two so there was nobody that would want to see him as far as he could tell.

"I don't care who you are. The man inside this room is a murderer and we have orders not to let anybody in," a third voice said. Halt grimaced at the word murderer. The Ranger had come to terms with being labeled as a prisoner and criminal but he couldn't bring himself around to accept being called a murderer. And technically he shouldn't have been called that at all seeing as Feller was still alive. Not in good health or anything but he was alive.

"Well you should care who I am!" the second voice yelled loudly and for a moment the door's muffling effect was overcome at the sheer volume of the yell. Halt cursed as he could finally identify the person. "Now move aside, I'm going in and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

"No," was the simple reply spoken by one of the guards.

There was the sound of clashing weapons followed by thuds as the guard's bodies hit the floor unconscious and the door to the room swung open. Stepping into the dim room was the one person Halt had hoped wouldn't show up. As the figure stepped out of the shadow and into the thin shaft of light from the small window his features were revealed.

"Will," Halt said with a sigh.

**Hope you're not getting bored...anyways, please review and tell me what you don't like, do like, what's wrong with it and all that great stuff:)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

Will looked at his mentor and for once he was speechless. For the past day and a half he had ridden nonstop on Tug so he could get to Castle Araluen as fast as he could. The former apprentice had no clue what he was going to say or what he even planned to do once he got to the castle; he just knew that he needed to see Halt. Now that he was here he was surprised to see Halt as calm as ever, if not looking a little bored. Will hadn't expected to see Halt bawling his eyes out or anything but he had thought his mentor would be showing some emotion at what was going on.

"May I ask you what you're doing here?" Halt asked, breaking the silence. His voice was a little stern and Will even thought he heard some agitation.

"I…you…I mean...," Will stuttered. He hadn't a clue what to do now that he had finally reached his goal of getting to the castle and getting to see Halt. It was all that had been on his mind for the past thirty-six hours. "Your trial is in a few days," he said softly in a somewhat rushed voice. Halt gave a small sigh at his former apprentice's statement.

"You don't say," Halt replied sardonically. Will gave a small smile. For some reason he had expected Halt to have changed from this whole mess but that comment reminded him that it was still the same Halt. "And that still doesn't explain why you abandoned Redmont. It now has no Rangers; thieves are probably ransacking the entire fief," he scolded. In the time that Halt had been locked in the room that acted as his prison his thoughts had wandered to the subject of Will and how he was going to deal with him. Eventually he had decided to act as if nothing were wrong.

"Redmont has a Ranger. I sent a message to Gilan and he's going to take it over and Alun is going to take over Whitby. I was going to have Gilan come but I was closer and-"Will stopped his explanation. He only had a few minutes before more guards showed up to haul him away; he highly doubted that the ruckus he had caused had gone unnoticed and he needed to know something. "What happened Halt?" he asked in a somewhat pleading tone. The past few days hadn't just been full of riding and determination but also of worry for his mentor and surrogate father. All the message had told them was that Halt was going to be on trial when they arrived because he had committed a crime.

Halt sighed once again. He knew that he couldn't not answer, he owed at least that to Will, but he also didn't want to answer as he knew he'd have to explain that the trial was going to certainly end in his being sentenced to death. He looked into the youth's eyes and motioned towards the stool that was by his bed. Will took a seat and Halt perched on the side of the bed. Halt took a deep breath before explaining what had happened that night when Feller had attacked Crowley and him. Only he didn't tell the truth. It killed him to lie to Will but he had to. The Ranger knew Will to well and he knew how he was going to react to the news that the trial was going to end in a bad way; if Will knew the truth then Halt was certain he'd have an outburst during the trial when he saw things heading south. If they needed to avoid anything, it was that. If Will were to yell out what had really happened then Halt wouldn't be able to lie and everything he had done would have been for nothing. So he told of how he kidnapped and stabbed Feller out of animosity.

"Will, I need you to promise me something," Halt said in a serious tone when he had finished the brief explanation and before Will could launch into an irrational rant of how he could get evidence of Halt's innocence. Will had stayed silent throughout the entire thing, a sign of his shock as he processed what it all meant. Still staying quiet, he gave a nod. "I need you to promise me that you won't interfere at the trial and you'll accept the outcome and when it's over with you have to move on. It's not going to end well for me, I know that, but you can't do anything and it won't do any good for you to stay hung up on this." Will frowned at this and Halt knew he was going to object before he started to so he placed a hand on Will's shoulder. "I need you to promise," he said steadily while looking into his eyes.

"No. No no no. I'm not going to Halt," Will said angrily and the senior could see the start of tears at the corners of the younger man's eyes. "I can…we could…No," Will said and now a few tears had come tumbling down his face. Even if Halt had accepted the inevitable he wasn't ready to. Something about hearing Halt speak so calmly about everything made him angry.

"Yes Will. You need to promise. You know as well as I do that it isn't looking good for me and it'd be a lot easier for me to go through if you'd promise me this. I need to know you won't waste your life being sad," Halt said sternly with his hand still placed on Will's shoulder. Again Will shook his head.

"Fine, if it's going to end so badly then I'm going to help you escape," he said defiantly. He didn't care how unreasonable it sounded; it was something he could imagine to help himself.

"And where would I go Will? I'd be on the run and I don't want that kind of life. I don't want to die someplace out in the wild on the run as a coward. Will, I need you to promise." Halt could hear the sound of heavy feet and knew that guards would be there in a few seconds. Will shrugged Halt's hand off his shoulder and shook his head with an angry face.

"No Halt! I'm not going to let you die and I'm not going to act as if it never happened!" Will yelled in a sudden burst of anger. Halt was trying to make him accept the fact that he was going to die and he wasn't going to agree to it. He was about to shout again when a pair of hands grabbed him by the shoulders and started to drag him out of the room. His last sight before the door slammed shut and he was in the corridor was of Halt shaking his head in frustration.

"Damn apprentices," Halt muttered as the door swung shut behind Will.

**Please review, Halt didn't seem to in character to me but that may just be me. Tell me whatcha think please:)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters:)**

**So first I have a few things to say: **

**The reason you are getting middle of the week updates is because it is summer and I didn't even know it was Tuesday until a few minutes ago. Ask me what day it is during school and I could tell you the date and everything, ask me in the summer and I'll ask you what month it is**

**TugLover98: CONGRATULATIONS! YOU WERE MY 99th REVIEWER!**

**Luvergirl of Books: CONGRATULATIONS! YOU WERE MY 100TH REVIEWER! I'm glad to hear I am seeming to improve:) Yea, one other person thought it was Feller as well:) Thanks for all of your reviews, you've given me some advice in other stories that have probably helped with this as well:)**

**Mychele O'Carrick of Clonmel: Thank you for helping out when I get stuck or need something looked over:) And for reviewing:)**

**To one of the guest reviewers: No, Halt has absolutely no other plan than to die. He doesn't even know Crowley is off helping...And if he wasn't so stubborn he wouldn't be the old greybeard Ranger everybody has come to deal with;)**

Crowley rode down the road through the main part of town to the castle. Had he only been riding on Cropper he would have made it across the small settlement in a matter of minutes but with Abelard following behind him it was a bit challenging to force a way through the villagers and stay together. As he rode by he got odd looks from more than a few people and realized that he was still caked with mud from his fall the other day. Eventually he got through the crowded main street and onto the wide dirt path leading up a small incline to the castle's drawbridge. When he was around fifty meters away from the gigantic bridge, he swung the horses to the right and headed towards the wooded hill that surrounded the small fief. A few more minutes riding brought him to a tight path that led him through the woods until he reached a clearing where a wooden cabin stood. As he was dismounting, a figure emerged from the cabin and headed towards him; one look told the commandant it was the fief's Ranger, Nick.

"Hullo Nick," Crowley said in a deceptively cheerful voice. He estimated he had around two days before the trial and then another day or so before the inevitable killing and the all too likely outcome of failure at returning was starting to dampen his mood.

"Afternoon Crowley," Nick said with a ready smile. It made him smile more when he saw Crowley's appearance. Nick was one of the older members of the Corps, being a fully-fledged Ranger for around twenty years now, and he was one of the friendlier Rangers as well. Although not the best thinker, he had a certain air of authority about him and was an excellent enforcer when it came down to it. He was perfect for the role of Candell's Ranger where Feller ruled loosely. "What brings you here?" he asked when the commandant didn't offer the information. Like all Rangers, young or old, he was curious and got a certain glint in his dark eyes as the prospect of information heading his way dawned on him.

"I need to speak to you about Feller," Crowley said and before Nick could ask the obvious question of why, he continued. "But first I need to take care of the horses." Nick nodded and motioned towards the horse shelter behind the cabin.

"By all means, I don't believe the shelter will house all three of them though," he said. "You're welcome to take Striker out though if you want," he added as he took in the grimy figure before him. It seemed the commandant had taken a swim in a pond of mud.

"No. It's fine. We have to moving fast so it'd be best if they just stayed around here in the clearing," Crowley replied with a tired smile. Nick nodded.

"Very well, I'll go make some coffee. Meet me inside when you're ready." Nick turned back to the cabin and Crowley started to get out supplies for the horses. Before either had made it to their destination, Nick turned around. "And Crowley," he called. Said Ranger turned and raised an eyebrow. "The stream is behind the cabin, it'd be appreciated it if you took a swim." Crowley looked down at himself and for the first time noticed how dirty he actually was. Nick smiled once more and headed back towards the cabin.

When he had brushed the horses down sufficiently and fetched two buckets of water from the stream running behind the cabin, one for each horse, Crowley fetched some grain from the shelter where Nick's horse was situated and fed the horses. Finally his tasks were done and Abelard and Cropper were comfortably resting in the shade of the tall towering trees at the edge of the clearing. He headed back to the stream and washed off what mud he could before heading to the cabin. As he walked up the verandah steps, Crowley realized how tired he really was. The seemingly endless day and a half in the saddle had taken a toll on him and that added to the restless nights filled with nightmares amounted up to quite a lack of energy. He yawned before he entered the standard issue Ranger cabin and was greeted by the distinctive smell of coffee.

Nick was seated at the table facing the door with his own mug of coffee; across from him another cup was waiting for Crowley. The commandant took his seat and, before any words were exchanged, took a deep sip of the drink. The effect wasn't much as he was accustomed to the caffeine but his eyelids lifted a bit and he no longer had the desire to collapse onto the table and sleep.

"You look like you've actually been roughing it Crowley," Nick said in his deep voice and with a smile. Crowley frowned and looked at him curiously. "I'd heard you'd become quite fond of the castle. Why Halt even told me it'd take a horde of Temujai to get you away from those royal feasts and whatnot," Nick added jokingly. Like all Rangers he treated his commandant with a certain amount of respect but also as an equal.

Crowley shot a mocking glare at him and took another sip of his coffee. Like most Rangers Nick was wiry but with the muscle gained after years of working with the longbow. He was clean shaved and his short black hair revealed the start of wrinkles on his forehead above his bright blue eyes. Ever since Crowley had become commandant he had made sure to speak to Nick at each Gathering to see how the fief was faring for no other reason besides he used to live there. The Ranger knew nothing of his past.

"I suppose it passed by Halt how he's grown quite fond of the food at Redmont. He even risks a ladle to the head to snatch some pies," Crowley replied then his features became serious as he remembered he was on a tight schedule if he planned to save Halt. "I need you to tell me some things about Feller."

"Not much to tell. Rarely see him in public and not many are allowed into the castle unless they live there," Nick said gravely. Even as a Ranger he wasn't allowed into the castle unless he was reporting something. It didn't bother him much as his real job was to stop bandits and the other criminals that decided to pop up and to make sure everything was prepared for any upcoming wars. Though a small place, Candell's castle was home to quite a bunch of nobles and their sons therefore they had a big enough population to have to provide a force for the king.

"It's not about how he's been running this place," Crowley said. "It's about those rumors that popped up before the war with Morgarath." Nick's previous smile faded.

"I don't know whether it's true or not but if you'd ask me my opinion I'd say it was true. Nobody would really have noticed his disappearance if the guards weren't such yappers. About four weeks before the war was when he left and Seth started ruling. I didn't think anything of it as Duncan was calling some of the Barons to discuss their war efforts and whatnot. That's all I know," he finished with a somewhat troubled expression. Not knowing something that had happened right before him would bother any Ranger.

"Were there any knights that went with him or anything?" Crowley asked. He could feel his only chance slipping away from him. If Nick knew nothing about what had happened then there was little chance anybody would. And if nobody had gone with Feller to the Mountains of Rain and Night, that meant there were no witnesses and possibly no way to help Halt.

"Don't believe so; he was leaving secretly and all so he'd want as few people to know as possible," Nick replied thoughtfully as he recalled the event. "Mind if I ask what this is all about?" he asked after a moment. Crowley finished his coffee and looked at the Ranger.

"Halt's gotten himself in a spot of trouble and the only way for him to get out is if I can prove Feller was ever associated with Morgarath," he answered evenly while avoiding going into detail. Nick nodded, accepting the answer. The entire Corps knew about the special friendship the two shared and it was completely logical that Crowley was going through all this trouble to help Halt.

"Well if he was, he's covered it up excellently. No solid proof was ever showed against him." Nick thought for a moment and looked at his commandant. Crowley was visibly exhausted proved by his disheveled appearance and the fact that his eyelids were starting to hang low. "How about you take up the guest room and I'll think this over," he suggested. Crowley looked reluctant to go but he complied.

Despite his fatigue, Crowley couldn't fall asleep. One reason was he didn't want the nightmares to come back to him but besides that, something was nagging at the back of his mind. It was a solution floating in his mind but seeming to slip away when he tried to figure it out. Finally deciding a rest, even if it was full of nightmares, would do him more good than sitting awake and getting nowhere, Crowley closed his eyes and began to drift off to sleep.

_Great, _he mused randomly. _When I get back to Araluen, I'm going to have a mess of reports._ As that indiscriminate thought passed through his sleepy mind something clicked and his eyes shot open.

"I've got it," he said with a slight smile.

**Yay, Crowley's got a plan:) Please review**

**Oh, one more thing I FEEL EPIC, I GOTZ TWO CHAPTERS, COUNT THEM! TWO! IN ONE DAY!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

King Duncan looked at the cloaked man sitting across from him and felt the urge to groan. During the past few days he had dealt with Halt killing a baron, Crowley going off to Candell against his better judgment and now he was dealing with the matter of Will. When he had heard about the incident with the guards, he hadn't been surprised in the least. Halt was like a father to the young man and he would do anything for the grizzled Ranger. Although, in the King's opinion, Will could have seen Halt in a much more peaceful way.

"Will, I know you wanted to see Halt, but did you have to knock out my guards? They were just doing their jobs," Duncan said somewhat annoyed. He was getting tired of all these Rangers.

"They wouldn't let me in. It's not as if I was going to break him out; I wouldn't be able to make it five meters down the hall without running into more guards, Your Majesty," Will said crossly. He wasn't too pleased with how the men had handled him once he had been hauled out of Halt's room. That added to his anger at Halt's request was putting him in a mood less than his usual happy self.

"They didn't know what you were going to do. It's their job to keep people out of the rooms their guarding. Especially if that room holds a man that is assumed to be a murderer," Duncan said with a sigh.

"You don't understand. I needed to see Halt, Your Majesty," Will answered in a dark tone.

"Maybe I don't understand. It'd be helpful if you explained to me why you felt the need to knock my guards out instead of coming to me and asking for permission to see him. I would have let you."

"No. I needed to see him immediately. And those guards were just standing in my way." Will took a deep breath to steady his anger. He didn't even think he should waste his time sitting here; it was taking time away from him trying to help Halt out. Sure, he had no plan or anything but sitting in a room with the king and discussing his actions wasn't getting hem any closer. "Excuse me for my rudeness, Your Majesty, but may you just tell me what's going to happen now?" Duncan sighed.

"Well, seeing as you really didn't try to break Halt out and you came somewhat peacefully once they got you out of the room, I can let you go with a warning. But if you do anything like that again, I won't be able to let you go," Duncan warned and Will gave a small nod.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Will said and stood up.

"And Will," Duncan said before he had made it to the door. Will turned around. "I'm not going to lie and say that everything will be fine, that will just hurt you more; what I am going to tell you is that Halt wouldn't want you getting in trouble for a lost cause. I'm not too happy about this situation either but we can't do anything for him. Feller's got good proof on his side."

"It's not a lost cause," Will said in a low voice. "And I'll do what it takes to help Halt and nothing more." Without another word, Will turned back to the door and left.

* * *

Matthew watched from his seat beside the bed as Feller opened his eyes. It was around midday and the baron hadn't awoken in around a day; everybody knew his strength was ebbing and most expected him to die soon. Feller blinked the bleariness away and looked at Matthew without moving his head. Matthew, never too pleased to see the baron awake, straightened somewhat and waited for Feller to ask him what he wanted to know.

"What's happening?" he asked in a weak voice that was barely audible. Matthew held back the grin that he wanted to let go at seeing Feller so vulnerable.

"Ranger Will Treaty came by a few minutes ago and fought past the guards to see Ranger Halt. At the moment he is speaking to the king but it doesn't look like he has anything to help Ranger Halt. Ranger Crowley has gone to Candell and the Redmont party should be here in two days then the execution should be held soon after," Matthew reported. Never had Feller been conscious for more than a few minutes at a time so he had learned to get out the most important details.

"Crowley's gone to Candell?" Feller asked with a frown. Matthew nodded. "That's around eight days for a round trip," he mused to himself and Matthew wisely ignored it. Feller didn't take too kindly to interruptions while thinking. "He's not going to get back for the trial."

"He's taken two of the Ranger horses, My Lord. He'll be able to get there and back in around four days at most," Matthew said, deciding it was safe to respond. Feller's frown deepened.

"Why would he go to Candell?"

"I don't know, My Lord, but Seth will be able to handle him if he starts sticking his nose in places it doesn't belong," Matthew said and Feller eased a little. The baron had trained Seth himself in how the fief should be run and he had faith in his son.

"He better," Feller said in a snarl; it wouldn't do any good to let Matthew think he was relaxed. "And what's this Will Treaty's business?"

"He broke in to see Ranger Halt, My Lord. The guards dragged him out and he's speaking to King Duncan at the moment," Matthew answered. Feller frowned yet again; Matthew had basically repeated what he had said when he first woke, but chose he to ignore it as he needed to know one more thing before he slipped back into sleep from lack of strength.

"What about the plan? Are they in position for the trial?" Feller's voice was weedy and Matthew realized he needed to answer fast.

"King Duncan has made it clear that nobody but the bare minimum is allowed into the trial, My Lord, but they are ready for the execution. The target will undoubtedly be there and it will be easier to slip away in the crowd," he said hurriedly. Feller gave a faint smile.

"Good. By then I should be better and we can get out as well." And before he could say anything more, his eyes closed and his breathing slowed.

**Now Will's up to something...this should be interesting...Please review**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**TugLover98: Congratulations, you were my 111th reviewer:)**

**I am proud to announce that this story has 22,513 words not counting author's notes and I believe it is now my longest story:) Thank you to everybody who has reviewed and so kindly pointed out things that were wrong**

Crowley, now with the thought of sleep a lost hope, hurried out into the kitchen of the cabin where Nick still sat at the table with his cup of coffee. He looked at the commandant and gave him a puzzled look when he saw the grin splitting his features. Without explaining anything yet, Crowley got himself another cup of coffee from the pot and collapsed into the chair facing Nick, who still looked confused.

"I figured it out," Crowley announced with cheer. This was probably the best thing that had happened since Halt had been condemned to death. "We are going to prove Feller was associated with Morgarath by using reports."

"What?" Nick asked after a pause when Crowley didn't explain. The commandant took a deep sip of his coffee before answering.

"The rumors said that Feller had become an assassin for Morgarath before the war, correct?" Nick nodded. "Well, Feller couldn't have just waltzed into the Mountains of Rain and Night and declared himself an assassin. He and Morgarath must have made contact sometime or other and so there'd be letters between the two lying around here someplace," Crowley said triumphantly. Nick thought for a moment and shook his head.

"Feller wouldn't keep the letters; it'd be too risky. If somebody found them then he'd be a dead man. Feller's not the best guy but he isn't dim," Nick said. Crowley merrily shook his head.

"He kept them; I know he did." Nick frowned and went to answer but Crowley silenced him with a wave of his hand. "Not all of Morgarath's companions were caught. We merely caught the bigger threats but there were still quite a few that got away. And I don't know if you've noticed but there have been reports over the course of the years for random deaths that seem to be caused just by chance. I didn't notice this before but now that I look over the names, every one of these deaths just so happens to be one of the people Morgarath despised. If Feller is doing what I think he's doing, then he kept those letters. And even the list of targets Morgarath would have given him."

"And what do you think he's doing?" Nick was quite confused by the commandant at the moment.

"I'm thinking that after Morgarath died, a lot of his human cutthroats got away. We only knew of the bigger names like Foldar; we have no way of knowing how many people Morgarath really had though. With the war over and Rangers on the lookout for men such as Foldar and them, many of the lower threats would have gone into hiding and maybe even left the country. But over time, when the bigger names had been caught, the little guys would start coming back because they hadn't been known to work with Morgarath and would be safe in a sense. What I'm getting at is Feller would have been one of those littler guys that would have to lay low but he couldn't leave the country as he was a Baron. The thing is, I don't think Feller was sitting by idly and accepting defeat; I think that he started recruiting everybody that was starting to meander back like the power hungry rat he is. The deaths over the years were so random and far between and covered up that we didn't think much of it but now that I'm thinking about it, they were all murders and somehow related to Morgarath. I know it's a long shot but think about it; it makes sense. Feller has always hated having this small fief and always wanted something bigger but he's not as young as he used to be and would need men to be the assassins. He's carrying on Morgarath's work only more discreet," Crowley finished. Nick was mulling over all that had been said. It took him a few minutes, seeing as he wasn't the best of thinkers, but eventually he saw logic.

"I still don't see why he would need to keep the papers Crowley," Nick said. He wasn't sure if he had missed that part but Crowley nodded.

"He would have kept them to recruit." Nick frowned. "Here, imagine you were an evil warlord's killer and your evil warlord had committed treason fifteen years ago and lost. Now he's taking a gigantic risk and attacking the king again and he loses again so you run away. When you return to civilization you're fairly sure nobody is on the lookout for you but you're not sure. One day a random baron, or more likely one of his workers, asks you to join them to continue your evil lord's work and you're not sure whether or not it's a trap. You're going to want proof that he actually is who he says he is before you throw everything away for your old life. Feller would have kept the letters to prove he was trustworthy and not a spy. Not to mention Morgarath probably gave him a hit list of the best strategists and whatnot that would need to be taken out in order for him to actually have a chance at gaining the throne. Being an assassin means you get valuable information like that." By now Crowley had finished his coffee and was tapping his foot anxiously. He wanted to hear if Nick found any flaws.

"There is one problem in your scenario. Feller doesn't have a force like Morgarath did; he can't attack and win the throne." Nick said.

"No but he'd have all the old assassins that had made it out. I'm no expert but I'd be willing to bet the king is on that hit list. If Feller knocked out Duncan, then he'd be recreating the scheme Morgarath made in the first war with the confusion. Cassandra would take over and Feller would have her killed. Then a new king would be chosen fast and chances are he wouldn't be the best choice because of the hasty decision. Feller would effectively kill him and then a new king would be chosen. If he continued the work then each king that took the throne would end up dead. Eventually nobody would want the throne and he'd have a clear path," Crowley answered.

"Well, all that is good and fine but it's a lot of assuming. Not to mention the fact that if you're right, then we have a huge assassination operation playing out under our noses. I don't know him personally but I'd think King Duncan would be a little upset about that."

"I know; it's a big guess but it all makes sense and it wouldn't end well if we ignore it because we are assuming so much this time. And yes, the operation is a huge problem and I'm a bit surprised we didn't see it earlier but they've spread everything out so it doesn't look suspicious. Most people that annoyed Morgarath are getting into their later years and the others are still doing dangerous work. It didn't look suspicious that they died so we didn't do much about it," the commandant explained. He was a bit irritated that they hadn't seen this sooner but it really was a well thought out plan. "The first thing we need to do is get those papers so we can see who they're after and what's going on."

"I agree that we need the papers but Feller probably keeps those things tucked away pretty well. It'd be hell to get them back to Castle Araluen not to mention what it's going to be like getting them in the first place," Nick said after a pause. Crowley thought for a moment more.

"I know where they'd be," he answered in a bitter tone. "And you're right; it's going to be hell. Now, let's get started." Crowley stood and got another cup of coffee then sat down again. He was positive that he knew where the papers would be but they'd need to have a plan. "The place that the papers would be in the castle is going to be extremely hard to get into so I thought-"

"You need to get some sleep first," Nick interrupted. Crowley looked at him a bit angrily.

"I need to do this now. There isn't much time before Halt's trial and I need to get back," he said aggressively. "Not to mention that King Duncan's life may be at risk."

"Crowley, look at yourself. You can barely keep your eyes open," Nick answered. Crowley suddenly felt the urge to yawn. Now that he had explained his idea and been assured it was a logical one, the rush of excitement was wearing off and the effects of the past few days were seeping in. "We can do this all tomorrow but right now you need to get some sleep. Besides, it never pays to plan something like this with a tired mind," Nick said quickly. Crowley frowned but recognized the sense behind it. He could hardly do anything when he was barely awake.

"Fine, but at the crack of dawn we are going to start planning our trip through hell," he said before he stood and walked back into the guest room of the cabin.

**Whew, that was confusing wasn't it? Tell me in a review please:)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**Okay, so I think I did better in this chapter with the commas and keeping the sentences long but not to long:) Maybe I didn't but that's up to you to decide**

_He was standing in the middle of a thick cloud of fog. Nothing was visible around him and he couldn't hear his voice as he tried to call out. In front of him, the mist began to swirl and shape into something. A few seconds later, Halt was standing before him with his hands bound and his face a mask. Crowley looked at him helplessly and tried to speak again but his words had no sound. To his left the vapor swirled again and this time Will and Pauline were there. Before he could do or attempt to say anything again, a dark figure emerged from the haze behind Halt and raised what looked to be a sword. Slowly, Halt looked up so he was staring the commandant in the eyes and Crowley felt his gut tighten._

"_You did this," Halt said and his voice rang through the silence. "You let me take the blame. You really think I wanted to?" Halt shook his head and looked over to where Pauline and Will stood mourning. "This is all your fault. Now I die with everybody thinking I was a murderer when it was really you." Halt's voice faded away as the figure behind him twirled the sword._

_Crowley struggled against the invisible force that held him to his spot but had no luck. In a graceful sweep, the blade came down and cut through Halt's neck like a hot knife through butter. The tight feeling in the Ranger's stomach increased and he swore his insides were a knot. The dark figure disappeared back into the mist as Halt's head rolled to rest at Crowley's feet._

"_All your fault." The words filled his mind in Halt's voice. Again, Crowley tried to break free but again he was held in place. "I'm dead now. Are you happy now? You could have stopped this. You could have told the truth even though I told you not to." Halt's voice rang through his head and Crowley couldn't do anything to stop it. "And I thought you were my brother."_

"_STOP!" The scream was torn from Crowley's throat. "NO!" he yelled, weaker this time. "I'm sorry," he mumbled as he felt hot tears prickle at the corners of his eyes._

"_Too late for that," Halt answered. His voice sounded distant and before Crowley could reply, the mist swallowed everything and he was someplace else._

_Feller dragged a fighting teen up the stairs, cuffing the adolescent over the head brutally for no apparent reason. The baron kicked open the door at the top of the stairs, revealing the dark and dank stone room beyond. The little light that cast a hazy glow over the chamber was provided by two windows high up on the walls; other than the windows the room was bare. Feller threw the youth to the floor savagely before slamming the door and grabbing the whip that hung on the back. His son, slightly queasy from all the hitting Feller had done to his head, stood uneasily and faced him._

"_No!" Crowley yelled and Feller's lips curled into a horrifying smile though his brows stayed drawn together in fury. The youth felt his courage plummet but continued on. "I've done nothing wrong!" he yelled but his voice was shaking and he didn't sound too confident._

"_I told you not to go see that Pritchard!" Feller yelled at the top of his lungs. Nobody would have heard the shout as the room they were in was located far up in the castle. "You disobeyed me and now you will pay!" he roared. Crowley flinched somewhat but held his ground._

_Feller, now in indescribable anger, took two long steps towards Crowley and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. Taking another step, the man slammed the minor against the rough stone wall, causing Crowley's head to bounce off it. Crowley's eyes closed in pain but he held back the yell. Smiling cruelly now, Feller released his son and watched as he crumpled to the ground._

"_Weak," he growled and raised the whip._

_Crowley, unable to defend himself, raised his hands helplessly to cover his head. It was to no avail as the whip struck his side and caused him to keel over so he was lying on the ground with his arms wrapped around his stomach. The whip rose again and fell again for what seemed like eternity and the youth had long given up trying to hold back his cries of pain or even trying to protect himself. Crowley was bleeding all over and half-conscious as Feller spit down on him and raised the whip once more. The teenager squeezed his eyes shut and felt the pain as the whip slapped across his face and then felt the stream of blood as it rolled down his cheek. _

"_Pathetic," Feller said in a snarl as he saw the tears. He raised the whip again and Crowley flinched before it even struck him._

His eyes snapped open and the commandant sat up instantaneously with cold sweat soaking his shirt and hair. His eyes darted around looking for Feller and he calmed as he realized that the experience had just been another one of his nightmares. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed so he was perched on the side, Crowley held his head with his hands. It took several deep breaths but eventually his heartbeat settled. Although he didn't want them to, the images from the dream flashed across his consciousness and caused his breathing to speed up again. When he had gained control, he looked out the window in his room and saw that the sun was just starting to light up the sky. Though he knew he should get up and start planning what he was going to do, Crowley collapsed back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.

The day Feller had discovered he had been apprenticed to Pritchard was the day he had been beaten the worst. It wasn't uncommon that Feller whip him or beat him but that day had been the worse and over the years of living in Candell he had come to hate that room. Had his mother ever found out about Feller's treatment of him, Feller would have been dead in a matter of seconds. But any time Crowley had come close to explaining the truth of why he was covered in gashes and bruises, Feller would make an excuse to take him away and he would be beaten again. It had started when he was around eight with Feller slapping him but once he had turned twelve, Feller had deemed it time to start with the whip. At first, Crowley had yelled out as loud as he could in hope that somebody would hear him but to no avail; the room was simply perfect for Feller's need as the walls were thick so no sound penetrated.

He had been left in that room to suffer on more than one occasion and he remembered all too well what torture had occurred in there.

And now, in order to save Halt and possibly King Duncan, he was going to have to enter that room once more.

**READ THIS BEFORE YOU REVIEW: I know Halt was OOC and that was on purpose because this is Crowley's nightmare and all. Crowley's gonna be all worried and all you know?**

**Okay so anyways, please review, tell me if I did worse/better with the sentences and commas and all that please:)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**It is now officially summer for me seeing as I can no longer remember what day it is...**

A knock on the door brought Crowley out of his thoughts and he sat up on the bed.

"Breakfast is ready Crowley," Nick said and the commandant gave a small smile. The Ranger's words reminded him of better times when he trained under Pritchard and lived in this exact room. His small moment of happiness faded as the grouchiness of no sleep for almost a week kicked in.

Still in his dirty clothes from the day before, Crowley walked into the kitchen and took up his seat. In front of him was a plate with eggs and a cup of coffee. Crowley wasn't very disappointed in the small meal as he wasn't too hungry after watching his friend's head roll to his feet and proceed to talk to him.

"Well if it isn't ," Nick said with his usual smile as he took in Crowley's dirty and haggard appearance. Crowley shot him a dark look.

"I'd like to see how you look after almost a week with no sleep and your best friend close to death," he snapped. Nick looked at him oddly before shrugging and returning to his breakfast. Crowley knew he should eat, but after watching Halt's head roll off his shoulders and then talk to him, he wasn't too hungry. After a few minutes, he gave up trying and simply leaned back in his chair and waited for Nick to finish.

Finally the Ranger had cleared his plate and he stood to clear the table. When he was done with that task, he disappeared into his room for a moment. He returned to the table carrying what seemed to be a map. Crowley sat forward in his chair so he could see the document as Nick rolled it out on the table and placed his saxe and throwing knife at different corners to keep it from rolling back up. In only a few seconds he knew the map of the castle wasn't going to help too much. The chart showed the castle from different angles and had a diagram of all the rooms but one room in particular was missing.

"The room we need isn't listed on here," Crowley said impassively though he felt agitated. Nick frowned.

"Any room in that castle will be on here," Nick replied and watched as Crowley's brows drew together.

"Well obviously not because the room that I need isn't on here," he retorted. Nick, being the friendly man he was, didn't get angry as some would get at Crowley's response. Instead he took up his seat again and looked at Crowley until the commandant raised his eyes. "Well? Are we going to sit here all day?"

"What's wrong Crowley?" Nick asked with genuine concern.

"Nothing," was the short response. Crowley looked back at the chart. "The room isn't listed, but I know where it would be," he said a bit nicer. Nick looked at him for a moment more before looking back to the map. "It's above the Baron's private chambers over here." Crowley pointed to where he had mentioned. "It's at the very top of the castle almost and the only way to get there is through a stairwell in the chambers."

"So not only do we have to get into the castle, but we have to get into Feller's private chambers?" Nick said incredulously. "Crowley, are you sure we can do this?"

"No," he answered crossly and his shoulders slumped as he leaned back in the chair again. "But I have to. Halt's life is on the line," he said. "And no damn castle guards are going to stand in my way."

Nick looked at the tired figure before him. Crowley had gotten nearly ten hours of sleep and still looked like he hadn't slept a wink. Normally Nick would have teased him about the way he looked but, judging from the commandant's current mood, he left it alone.

"Crowley," Nick started and the Ranger looked at him. "You sure you're fine? I know you and Halt are brothers in all but blood but you seem a little off."

"It's nothing," Crowley said a bit heatedly. With the nightmares haunting him, nights hadn't been too peaceful and now his lack of energy was affecting his attitude. He took a deep breath before talking again. "Let's just get back to planning." It was more of a command than anything and it wasn't in the nicest sounding voice. Nick debated pushing the subject but decided against it and looked back to the diagram.

"Well getting to Feller's chambers isn't going to be an easy task. And that's if you get into the castle. They're awfully particular about keeping common people and Rangers out," Nick said. Crowley frowned down at the map.

"How do they get supplies then?"

"Once a week they let people in but they're kept in the courtyard and guards are positioned so the only place you can go is out."

"And when is the next time one of these markets is going to be held?" Crowley looked up from the map and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. When he had lived in Candell, the castle had been open to anybody really. Commoners could come and go as they pleased if they had business to attend to. Of course, he reminded himself, that was before his mother had died.

"Tomorrow. We could get in then, but it'd be hard to get into the keep and to Feller's quarters. The gates open at noon so there wouldn't be many shadows to work with either, but they don't kick everybody out until an hour before dark. I need to get some supplies so it won't look too odd for a Ranger to just randomly show up." Crowley nodded.

It'd be simple getting into the courtyard and acting normal seeing as Nick needed to pick up some items. He could wait until the sun had dipped in the sky so shadows were covering the square and make his way to the keep's entrance. The real trouble would be getting into the keep and up to Feller's quarters. Before he could make another bad-mannered comment, Crowley took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. It helped somewhat, but he still felt like face planting into the table.

"How would we get to Feller's rooms unnoticed?" Crowley thought aloud. Nick's face twisted in thought and the commandant started tapping out a beat on the table.

"Well, the nobles that live in the castle will be at the market and they'll need to get back to their rooms. You could slip in with a group of them and head up to Feller's chambers," Nick finally said. Crowley nodded.

"That's easier and probably safer than climbing the gates when it gets dark. But there's still the problem of getting into Feller's room. There's bound to be guards and even if you could somehow get past them, the door would have to open for you to get in," Crowley said with a sigh. He really wished that he could just charge up the stairwells and stick an arrow through anybody that got in his way. Nick frowned and thought again. Crowley, tired and frustrated, just closed his eyes and tried to calm down. A tired Ranger was never a good Ranger to work with.

"I got it," Nick said happily. Crowley opened his eyes and saw that Nick was grinning. "How good a climber are you?"

**Crowley isn't much of a morning person is he? Please review**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's apprentice or any of its characters **

**First I would like to thank all of you epic reviewers:) This is now my most reviewed story! It beat the Hide and Seek one! Gracias mi amigos:)**

Crowley lay on his back staring at the ceiling. It was only midafternoon and he was about ready to drop dead from fatigue but he couldn't bring himself to drift off. He and Nick had spent most the day planning everything and eventually Nick had forced Crowley to retire to the guest room. Tomorrow, he had to climb the wall of the keep without being spotted and then proceed to break into Feller's chambers. And even better, he would then have to go back into the one place that he never wanted to see again. And it was all to save Halt.

"You really better live long enough for me to return," Crowley muttered before his weary mind shut down and cast him into the world of nightmares.

* * *

Will kicked the ground angrily. It was around midafternoon and he was standing in what remained of the burnt down Ranger cabin. His day had been spent interrogating the guards that had seen Feller being kidnapped. They had all said the same thing: Feller and a small figure in a cloak had left the castle ten minutes before the drawbridge was closed and an hour later the fire had been spotted. Frustrated, Will had left them and gone to question the men who had found Feller's room in a mess. Apparently, there was a struggle in the room and Feller had been overpowered and dragged into the corridor. Judging by the lack of yells for help from Feller, they thought that he had been threatened and therefore he complied to leave.

Though Will knew Halt wouldn't do anything like that, there was no proof and so he had gone to the cabin to try and find something. He had been here around three hours and still had nothing. Taking a deep breath, Will walked back to Tug who was waiting for him. Once he had mounted, Will sat looking around the clearing absently. He could go back to the castle and just sit, waiting for the Redmont party to arrive or he could continue searching for clues to help Halt. The latter option was the only one he wanted to choose but he didn't know where else to look or who else to speak to. He tapped Tug's sides sullenly and the pony started a trot down the path leading to Castle Araluen.

In almost no time, Will was riding across the drawbridge and into the busy crowd in the courtyard. Deciding it'd be better to lead Tug instead of plowing through everybody, Will dismounted and walked his horse through the mob. He found a spot for Tug in the stables and brushed him down and fed him before walking out of the stall and stopping. He had nothing to attend to and nowhere to go but his temporary room and he didn't want to sit there and feel guilty about not helping Halt. His problem was solved when a messenger ran up to him, panting.

"Ranger Will, King Duncan wishes to see you in his study," he said breathlessly. Will nodded and hurried off through the crowd.

Another five minutes went by before Will was at the King's private study where they had spoken the other day. The guard moved out of the way and opened the door to let the Ranger in. As the door closed behind him, Will looked around and saw that Rodney, Arald, Pauline, Gilan and Gilan's father, David were seated in a half circle around King Duncan. A fire was blazing in the fireplace and lighting up all of their miserable looks. Even Gilan looked to be a bit down. Will took a seat between Arald and Pauline and shot Gilan a look. The Ranger was supposed to be in Redmont.

"I was just filling everybody in on what has happened the past few days. I assumed Halt had told you everything during your little…meeting with him," said Duncan. Will nodded but said nothing.

"I thought you were supposed to be in Redmont," Will said to Gilan when an awkward pause had passed. Gilan looked at him a bit guiltily.

"I got the letter and rode Blaze fast to Redmont. I was there for a few hours before I left with this group." Gilan motioned to the others. "He was my mentor too," he said. Though he didn't have the same relationship with Halt as Will did, Gilan would fight to the death for the grizzled man. When he had heard what was happening, he had practically raced to Redmont.

"Well how did you all get here so fast?" Will asked, his normal curiosity kicking in.

"I told the messenger to ride quick to Redmont. He took two horses so I presume he got to Redmont in one day or so," Duncan answered, willingly going off topic of what he called Will to the room for.

"And we only stopped for short breaks," Arald filled in. Will nodded again and they fell into silence.

"Well I suppose we can't stall forever," Duncan sighed. Six sets of eyes turned towards him. "We've been preparing the trial since the incident and so it'll take place tomorrow a bit after noon. Crowley would have attended but he is in Candell at the moment and one of the guards that was on duty that night will be there."

"What's the point of it?" Gilan asked a little angrily. His anger wasn't for nothing. Like Will, he had wanted to rush to Castle Araluen but he had run into the Redmont party and Will had already left. Pauline had eventually convinced him to stay with them. He had wanted to see Halt just as much as Will but now it seemed he was only going to see him from a distance while he was being sentenced to death. Along with that, it angered him that everybody in the room knew what Halt was like but nobody was trying to object to this.

"Watch your tongue," David snarled at his son. Gilan looked at his father angrily.

"Well it doesn't make any sense! Why have this foolish and pointless trial if we all know that it's going to end in Halt being sentenced to death? Why talk about it when we have to go through it?" His voice was rising and he had to check himself. "Halt is a few days away from dying and what are we doing? We're sitting here talking about this trial," David's brow creased and he went to interrupt but Gilan forged on. "We should be doing something! I know Halt pretty damn well and this doesn't seem like something he would do!" Gilan looked to everybody to see if they would disagree. Nobody did.

"No, nobody thinks Halt would just kidnap Feller and kill him. But there is proof that he did, so until anybody can find evidence to contradict that, we'll have to believe that he did," David retorted. King Duncan stayed silent. Part of him wanted to tell everybody Halt's statement of how Feller attacked him but another part of him said that doing so would just cause more trouble. So he stayed silent.

"Well I'm not believing it! Halt is no murderer!" Gilan snapped.

"Enough!" Duncan said irritably. David glared once more at his son before settling back in his seat. Gilan took a few deep breaths to calm down. The rest of the group had been watching the argument and now they looked back to Duncan. "Bickering isn't going to do anything. Halt admitted to stabbing Feller and that's that. Nobody wants this to happen but it has to. I admit that I'm not even looking forward to this but we have to go through it. I wanted to call you all here so we could discuss this and possibly help one another but if you're going to act like children, you can leave." Duncan looked at David and Gilan. They stayed silent. "That's what I thought."

"So…there's no hope?" Will asked quietly when a few minutes had passed. Everybody turned to look at him with confused expressions. "No hope of Halt living?" he elaborated. Duncan went to say something but stopped. He had a suspicion that Crowley was somehow helping Halt but so far he had heard no news so he kept his thoughts to himself.

"Like I said the other day Will, I'm not going to lie to you. That would only cause you harm. So no, as of right now there is no hope for Halt," Duncan answered sullenly.

Pauline hung her head and a tear rolled down her cheek while Will closed his eyes and fought back his feelings. Arald and Rodney, never criers, had their fists clenched in anger. Gilan, still angry, stood and stormed out of the room. An aggravated David went to stand and go after him but Duncan put a hand on his arm and held him back.

"Let him go," he said simply.

**Originally, I didn't plan to bring Gil into this but he's only going to be in a few chapters...sorry bout that:) Please review, I thought Gil was a bit off but what do I know right?**

**And I saw this quote and figured it fit the theme of this story somewhat: One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**OH YEAH! TWENTY CHAPTERS AND I STILL ACTUALLY HAVE READERS! YOU GUYS ROCK**

Will walked to Gilan's assigned room a few doors down from his and stopped. He debated just walking in but after seeing Gilan's temper at the meeting yesterday, Will decided to knock. There was no answer and the Ranger was tempted to just walk in. Trying again, Will knocked louder and waited. Again no answer came and Will decided that Gilan was just ignoring him and he'd have to let himself in. Gilan couldn't stay locked up in his room; the trial was in only half an hour. A little hesitantly, Will cracked the door open and peered in. When he had determined it was safe, Will opened the door fully and froze at what he saw.

Gilan was drinking a cup of coffee while he sat in a chair by the fireplace on the left side of the room. Will looked around at the broken chairs lying on the floor and the table missing a leg. Added to the mess were a few broken vases and several shattered dishes. Will closed the door behind him and made his way over to Gilan who was staring at the black coals. He took a seat across from the other Ranger and forced himself not to let his gaze wander around the room.

"Gil," he said and the Ranger looked at him. "What happened?" Will asked and motioned around the apartment. Gilan glared at him.

"I got angry. And I was angry because all of you fools just sitting by and watching this happen to Halt! If you're so sure he wouldn't do something like this then why is he about to die?" Gilan growled. Will frowned.

"Gil, Duncan can't just let Halt go because his closest friends say he wouldn't do this. If that happened then there would be more than one outraged noble and we'd have a big problem. It all comes down to the fact that there is evidence that Halt did it and Halt even confessed to it," Will answered and didn't even try to disguise his misery. "I tried Gilan. I asked all the guards that were involved in this mess and I went back to the cabin. It just all shows Halt did it."

"A few angry nobles are better than a dead Halt," Gilan answered and Will sensed a fight coming about.

"I agree but it'd be more than a few. Duncan has to rule with fairness and if he lets Halt go, people are going to see it as a favorable choice. He can't have that happen." Will saw Gilan's brow draw together and his fists clench. "Gil, nobody wants this to happen and nobody wants to go to the trial but we have to."

"Only so we can get to see Halt being sentenced! You, me, Pauline, Rodney, Arald and anybody else there but the guard isn't going to be of any use! None of us saw what happened and we only just found out last night what this whole ordeal is about!" Gilan fumed. He looked around the room that he had trashed the previous night and felt the urge to do it again.

"Gil, calm down," Will said.

"How? How Will? Halt's going to die! He's going to die for something I'm positive he didn't do and I'm supposed to just go along with it happily?" Gilan yelled. Furiously, he threw his mug across the room and watched as it shattered against the floor. Will stayed silent and watched as Gilan sat forward and rested his head in his hands on his knees. "No."

Around ten minutes passed before Will deemed Gilan tranquil enough to speak to again.

"Come on, we need to get moving if we're going to get to the trial on time," Will said softly. Gilan lifted his head and scowled at the younger man.

"I'm not going. I know how it's going to end. It's pointless to go just because Duncan needs to have enough witnesses."

"That's not why we are going." Even though Gilan still had the scowl on, Will could tell he was curious by his statement. "We're going because we know how it's going to end and Halt knows we know how it's going to end. I agree; I wouldn't go just because Duncan needed witnesses. I would never go if that was the only reason. I would go because I want Halt to know I'm there for him. If I didn't know how this was going to turn out, I'd go there mostly to see how it ended but this time I know what's going to happen. And I know it's not going to be good but even though I don't want to watch I'm going. Halt's basically my father and he's been there for me every time I needed him. Now it's my turn to be there," he said seriously. "If you don't want to go, fine then. I can't force you. I just thought you'd want to go for Halt."

Gilan clasped his hands together and placed them on his knees as he looked down at his feet. Halt was more than a mentor to him and through most his life, Halt had been there beside him. During his training, during his graduation, when they had been in Arrida, and any other time he really needed him to be there, he had been there without second thoughts. Though the trial was just a step towards the bad ending, he knew that Halt would be grudgingly happy he was there. Once he got over the fact he wasn't in Redmont at least.

"Nobody really wants to go. How do you think Pauline feels? Last night she couldn't stop crying. We all want to help Halt but let's face it, how can we do that? Halt wouldn't want us going outside the law to help him and getting ourselves into a mess as well. It'd be better to just go along with this and see where it leads. And if it ends in Halt dying, then the least we could do is be there for him," Will said somberly and Gilan slowly nodded.

"Guess we should go now," Gilan said. "Before the maids come to clean up," he added with a small grin and Will returned it.

The two cloaked friends made their way through the corridors of the castle and eventually ended up in front of the two large doors leading to the throne room. Slowly, the doors opened and they were let in; not to return until the trial was over. Whether they left in good moods or, most likely, bad moods, was still to be determined.

**Alrighty then, looks like it's time for the fun to begin. Please review(most preferably if it is a critical review;))**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

King Duncan sat upon his throne room in any mood but happy. To his right, leaning against the throne, was his massive broadsword with his leopard insignia as the pommel and he tapped it distractedly. Below him and down the aisle to the two massive double doors, two tables were set to the left and right. Sitting at the table to the right was Gilan, Pauline, Rodney, David, Arald and Will. And sitting at the table across the aisle were Matthew, and the guard that had gotten the best view of Feller when he had left the castle the night of the fire. Duncan sighed and looked away from the doors and to the pools of colored light on the marble floor cast in through the tinted windows. Several of the massive columns sitting in the room looked like straight rainbows and Duncan felt it was a bit to cheery for what was about to happen. Anthony looked up at King Duncan from his position a few steps down and to the side of the throne. The question in his eyes was obvious and Duncan sighed but nodded.

"Very well, the sooner we get started the sooner we finish," he said. Anthony nodded and tapped his ivory staff on the steps to silence the background of babble that had broken out. Instantly, the room fell quiet and all eyes swiveled to look at the wooden doors.

Almost painstakingly slow, they opened and in walked a small procession with Halt in the middle of four guards. His hands were bound behind him and as he walked by the tables, the watchers saw that the back man had a blade pressed against the Ranger's back. The party of five stopped a few meters short of the throne and moved off the aisle to the right. Duncan noticed that Pauline had hidden her face so she no longer had sight of Halt. Other than that, nobody showed any emotion, though the room was in dead silence. Anthony looked to Duncan again and the king nodded for him to go on.

"We are here today to determine the fate of Ranger Halt of Redmont Fief," Anthony said officially. Duncan felt the urge to roll his eyes; he had never really been one for official speeches and whatnot though he gave them quite a bit.

The king let his gaze wander over to where Halt stood as Anthony read off the regulations of what was to happen. The Ranger's face was impassive as always and he didn't seem too concerned that his life depended on what happened in this room. Duncan continued to study the Ranger and was slightly ashamed when Halt caught his stare and raised an eyebrow. Quickly, Duncan looked away and began to focus on what Anthony was talking about.

"Ranger Halt of Redmont Fief has been accused of the following charges. He is claimed to have kidnapped Lord Feller of Candell Fief and murdered him ruthlessly."

In the back of the room; Will leaned over to Gilan who was sitting beside him on the left. Gilan wasn't even bothering to hide his anger as he sat with his arms over his chest, scowling at everything.

"Wish they'd stop saying that," he muttered and Gilan swung his glare to look at Will. The Ranger looked a little confused.

"Now isn't the time to talk," David snapped from his seat on Will's right. Gilan went to say something but stopped. He didn't feel like getting in an argument here with his father. He was here to support Halt and fighting with David wasn't going to help anything.

"Now, if Lord Feller's representative would step up, we may begin," Anthony said.

Matthew stood from his seat at the table and walked up the aisle until he was about level with Halt. When formalities had been made and the oath of truth had been spoken, Matthew bowed and began to speak.

"Lord Feller had come here to discuss his fief's boundaries as we have recently unearthed some old maps and documents that entitle us to some of our neighbor's land. Upon arriving, he had a run in with Ranger Crowley of Castle Araluen. There is bad blood between the two and we left the Ranger's clearing on some harsh words."

"Wait," Duncan said and Matthew stopped mid-sentence. The king looked to where Halt stood and frowned. Since he had walked into the room, Halt had kept a mask on his face but as Matthew had mentioned an encounter with Crowley and Feller, Halt's brow had creased. It was small but with Halt that could be something large. "Halt," Duncan said and the guard standing in front of the Ranger moved. "This meeting that Crowley and Feller had, does this have anything to do with your actions?" The lines the king was now thinking on led him to believe that the small hint could mean a way out of death's path for Halt.

"I knew nothing of the encounter, Your Majesty," Halt answered truthfully. He had not heard of any meeting between the two before the fire. Duncan eyed the man for a few moments before accepting that Halt wasn't lying. Hiding his disappointment, Duncan looked back to Matthew and motioned for him to continue. Once the rattle of armor had died down from the guard moving back into place, Matthew cleared his throat.

"A couple days later, the night of the fire, Lord Feller was drifting off to sleep when he felt a presence in the room. Before he could alert anybody however, he was attacked and there was a brief skirmish in his room. Eventually he was overpowered and his life was threatened. With no other option, he followed a cloaked figure, Ranger Halt, out of the castle and to the cabin. When there, he was subject to beating and even watched as Halt dispatched his faithful guards that had followed him. The two Rangers-"

"Two?" Duncan asked. Matthew nodded and once again Duncan turned to Halt. The guard moved and Halt raised an eyebrow. "I was led to believe this was all your doing."

"It was, Your Majesty. Crowley was there, I admit that, and he did help toss that dolt-"at this point, a guard slapped Halt across the face for the offensive word. King Duncan was tempted to slap the knight himself but settled for glaring at the man. He motioned for Halt to continue. "He helped me because that's who he is. Feller was getting a bit rebellious and Crowley didn't want to stand around and watch me get smacked around. I convinced him to help me," Halt finished. Something in the back of the king's mind told him this was a lie but he couldn't come up with anything to show that. Instead he nodded and looked back to Matthew. Again, he waited for the clatter to die down.

"As I was saying, the two Rangers proceeded to throw him into the cabin and set it alight. He managed to escape. Naturally, he fought to abscond but was stabbed by none other than Ranger Halt," Matthew said. Duncan nodded, reluctantly accepting that the account matched the few details they had.

"And do you have any witnesses?" Anthony asked as Duncan started thinking of all the laws. Murdering somebody was a terrible crime, it was just wrong and not many people would stand for it if Halt got off lightly. Perhaps if a commoner or somebody he didn't know so well had committed the crime, he would've felt that it was a more serious matter at the moment. But it wasn't somebody he didn't know; it was Halt and at the moment he didn't see what the big deal was. Yes, murdering somebody was worthy of punishment; but death? He was thinking of ways to phrase his thoughts when Matthew answered.

"Yes. Daryl Anson, the guard that watched Feller walk across the drawbridge with Ranger Halt," Matthew answered.

"You may be seated," Anthony said. Matthew bowed once more before turning back towards his table. "Daryl Anson, please approach," he added once Matthew had been seated. The guard, clad in half armor but without a sword, stood and walked down the aisle. When he had finished his formalities and oaths, Anthony looked to King Duncan.

**And so it goes on...Please review. I don't know if this is how a trial would go or not in medieval times. But (with Mychele O'Carrick of Clonmel) we have reasoned that everybody's stories would have to be heard because this is one big mess really. In book 3, they knew what had happened and all. So...yea**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

"You are the head guard?" Duncan asked simply. Daryl nodded. "And you were on watch when Lord Feller left and when the fire was spotted." Daryl nodded once again. "What did you see?" King Duncan's usual friendly manner was long gone and it showed in his words.

"Well, it was about ten minutes before the drawbridge closed and Lord Feller came along."

"Did you stop and ask him why he was leaving?" Duncan queried. It would seem rather odd for a baron, or any noble really, to be leaving the castle so late.

"Well…no." Daryl shifted and tried to ignore the fact that all eyes were on him. "He's a baron, Your Majesty. He can do as he pleases; he doesn't really need to explain himself to me," said Daryl. The king nodded and Daryl took it as a sign to go on. "Walking beside him was this short cloaked man. He had a quiver on his back and a long bow in his hand but the bow wasn't drawn and didn't even have an arrow knocked. About five minutes later, Lord Feller's guard came running on through."

"Did you question them?" It was a bit odd that a guard of four men charging across the drawbridge when it was about to close weren't questioned.

"No. I don't think we could have the way they were going." Duncan motioned for Daryl to continue and the guard thought for a moment. "I'd say it was around an hour later when we saw the flames start. I gathered ten of the men and we headed off to the cabin. When we got there, Lord Feller was lying at Ranger Halt's feet and Ranger Halt was holding the bloody blade. We put the Ranger into custody and I came back here with Ranger Halt and five men to get a healer," he finished. Duncan mulled over what had been said.

"Could you describe the man who walked with Feller in more detail?" he asked after a minute or so. Daryl shifted again and thought back.

"No, Your Majesty, he was wearing his cowl up and the light was almost gone from the sky. But he was pretty short. He didn't speak or anything either; they just walked across the bridge silently."

"Did Lord Feller look worried at all?" the king asked.

"Not completely, Your Majesty. He looked a bit annoyed but not terrified or anything," Daryl reported. King Duncan considered for a moment.

"Thank you Daryl," Duncan said, hiding his frustration. Daryl gave a deep bow before returning to his seat.

"Your Majesty," Anthony said and Duncan turned his troubled look down to him. "Do you need a break?" he asked. Duncan shook his head.

"No. Let's just move on." Anthony nodded.

"Halt has already made it clear he has no attorney or defense. He says he doesn't need one," Anthony said quietly. Duncan nodded; it was to be expected of Halt. "Do you want to question him?" Again Duncan nodded. He didn't really need to question Halt; it was basically all over now but there were some questions that he wanted answered. "Walk the prisoner forward," Anthony said louder and the guards shoved Halt so he stood only a meter away from the throne with one guard still by his side.

When he too had taken the oath and gone over formalities, Duncan looked at him with disguised concern. He was as taciturn as ever and stood still with his eyes steady. Like the last time Halt had been in this room, Duncan wasn't looking forward to how this would have to end. Only this time he couldn't manipulate the law. He had already come to that conclusion and though he knew it would do no good, he was delaying the ending.

"Halt, do you have any objections to the account of things or your charges?" Duncan was half hoping Halt would tell everybody the same thing he had told him. That Feller had attacked them but, the other half of him knew that wouldn't happen. It couldn't happen really. Sometimes he hated being King.

"No," Halt answered simply. Duncan met his eyes and knew there was going to be no chance of Halt begging for mercy either.

"You agree with everything that has been said?" he asked though he knew what the answer was going to be.

Halt was tempted to tell everybody the real account of what had happened but held back for two reasons. One was because it would just waste time. He had nothing to back him up and it would end in everybody having to listen to what evidence was found again. The other was it would lead to Crowley being brought into the mess. Though they had left off on a bad note, Halt was still loyal to his friend. He frowned mentally as he realized that Crowley wasn't here.

"Yes, Your Majesty," he answered after a slight delay.

"Why did you do it?" Duncan asked. Halt looked at him and Duncan thought he could see pain in his eyes.

"I can't tell you, Your Majesty." With the answer, Halt was rewarded a hit over the head from the guard next to him.

"Tell him," the guard snarled. Duncan glared at the man and he backed down.

"I can't tell you," Halt repeated and Duncan gave a small bob of his head.

"Do you regret your actions?" Duncan asked with a sigh. It was something he asked all men who walked in here to be tried. It gave them a chance to get some of their credibility back from people. But so was not the case with Halt; he knew that those who mattered weren't going to think any less of him for not apologizing.

"No, Your Majesty. I would do it all over again," he said. The last part confused everybody in the room but Duncan chose to ignore it.

"Very well," the King answered and he turned to Anthony. "May we have a short recess to discuss this?" he asked and Anthony nodded.

Halt was lead back to his position in the middle of the guards. Anthony walked up the few steps separating him and King Duncan. The King was obviously distressed and Anthony knew that this would be one of those times being a King was coming on hard.

"Anthony, this really isn't all that bad, is it?" Duncan asked when Anthony was standing beside him.

"It's murder, Your Majesty," he answered with a frown.

"Yes but it's been done before. Killing one person is bad, yes, but is killing the killer really the right punishment?" The law had been the same ever since he could remember but it was worth a shot to convince Anthony that execution wasn't the answer.

"Your Majesty, I know you're not looking forward to this. Nobody is. But this is a bit more serious then how you think. Halt has not just killed one man. He killed a guard of four men and then the Lord of Candell. Had he just dispatched of a farmer, possibly the punishment would be a whipping or banishment but Lord Feller isn't a commoner.

"But the guards did attack him," Duncan pointed out.

"After Halt kidnapped Lord Feller and tried to burn him alive," Anthony retorted. "No matter what, you're going to have to do this." It was moments like these when Anthony wasn't happy in his job. He loved serving the King directly but when it came to forcing Duncan to sentence a close friend to death, the job wasn't so satisfactory. Duncan noticed the sadness in Anthony's eyes and decided to drop the matter. This was no easier for Anthony than it was for him.

"If I must," he said and Anthony nodded. The assistant made his way back down the small steps and tapped his ivory staff for silence. There wasn't much need but protocol was protocol. When all eyes were upon Duncan, they had been since the break was called, Anthony looked to him.

"I, King Duncan, hereby sentence Ranger Halt O'Carrick to death on the charges of murder….

**Please review, all of these reviews on here make my day so thank you to all the epic people that have reviewed:)**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

Gilan watched as King Duncan requested a break. He was still fuming but now he was angry with Halt. Gilan knew that Halt didn't do this; something just told him that. Perhaps it was because he had spent five years and then some with the man and knew him better than most people did. Either way, he wasn't happy about how Halt had answered the questions from the king. Anybody as close to Halt as he was should have known they were lies but Will and Pauline and everybody looked convinced. Will tapped his shoulder and the Ranger swung his still glaring eyes upon him.

"Gil, calm down. You look like you're going to kill somebody," Will said, only half joking. Gilan took a deep breath but he still didn't look happy.

"What were you saying earlier?" Gilan asked suddenly.

"I was saying I wished they'd stop calling Halt a murderer," Will said, confused. It was just something that had bothered him. He didn't see why Gilan was interested at all in that.

"Why?" Gilan glanced up to the throne where it looked like Anthony and Duncan's conversation was coming to an end. It annoyed him as well that they were calling Halt a murderer but it wasn't just because he knew Halt wouldn't have killed anybody. It was for another reason that the Ranger couldn't put his finger on.

"Well, Feller isn't dead yet. Sure, he killed four guards but their just accessories really. If Feller isn't dead then he isn't actually a murderer at the moment," Will explained. He was about to say more but the crack of Anthony's staff against the steps rang out and he fell silent. Gilan looked like he was thinking over something and Will was a bit worried.

King Duncan glanced around the room once before speaking. "I, King Duncan, hereby sentence Ranger Halt O'Carrick to death on the charges of murder-"

"Wait!" Gilan yelled at the top of his lungs as he stood hurriedly. His chair toppled backwards and he was rushing down the aisle towards the throne.

There was a ripple of confusion and possibly annoyance through the watchers but the Ranger went on forward. The three guards not near Halt moved forward to intercept him but King Duncan stopped them with a wave of dismissal. Gilan came up beside Halt and stopped. He didn't even bother to look at Halt; he felt the man's death glare upon him.

"Your Majesty, you can't kill Halt," Gilan said hurriedly.

"What are you doing?" Halt snarled at his former apprentice. Gilan turned to look at Halt as his guard slapped him across the face for speaking out. By now Halt was used to the abuse and chose to ignore it.

"Feller's not dead yet. They can't sentence you to anything. If you're being tried for Feller's death and the guards, don't all of them have to be dead?" Gilan looked up at King Duncan who was fighting back a small smile. It was true that Feller wasn't dead. Here was the loophole he hadn't found earlier.

"You have a point," Duncan said slowly.

"No! He doesn't!" Matthew yelled from the back of the room. The man was rushing up the aisle and came to a stop by Gilan. He was comically short compared to the tall Ranger. "Lord Feller is on death's doorstep! There isn't a chance of him living!"

"I beg to differ," Gilan said as he glared at the man. "I've seen miracles happen before. I've survived when I was practically hugging death. If I can do that, then Lord Feller can get over a little stab to the gut," the Ranger said. By now Duncan was fighting back his relief that wanted to show.

"I repeat; there is no chance of him living!" Matthew said desperately.

"Enough!" Duncan's voice boomed through the room, cutting off Gilan's reply. Everybody in the room, including Halt, had been watching the scene intently. Now they looked to the king. "Ranger Gilan has a point. Lord Feller is not dead yet and that's why we are all here, isn't it?" Duncan looked to Anthony. The man was looking a little hesitant.

"Well, yes. Ranger Halt can't be sentenced at the moment for Feller's death. But he did kill four of the guards, Your Majesty," the squat man said. You could almost feel the disappointment in the room. King Duncan looked at Halt who had been watching everything with a steely look. Blood was running from his lip from where a guard's gauntlet had hit him. Altogether, he didn't seem to care which way this ended.

"Killing guards and killing barons result in different punishments if I remember right," Duncan said and Anthony shuffled.

"Yes, but we'd have to have another trial. People want to see something done about this now," he said. It was true. Many who had heard about the trial had made it clear they wanted something done.

"If Feller isn't dead yet and we need something done, we'll have to wait to see how he turns out. You say something needs to be done though?" King Duncan looked to Anthony who nodded. "I can't sentence this man for something that he technically has not done yet."

"Well you could," Anthony responded. The room was deathly silent. Duncan raised an eyebrow in question and Anthony cleared his throat. "If Lord Feller lives, we shall have another trial for the guards. If Lord Feller dies, Ranger Halt could be sentenced to death without another trial." Duncan nodded; the solution was a good one. Feller wasn't looking to survive but it was possible. The Rangers had proved the impossible to be possible before with rebounding from death's doorway.

"Then that's what I'll do," Duncan announced and sat up in his throne so he was looking out across the room. Matthew was failing to hide his irritation below him while Gilan smiled truly for the first time in a week or so. "I, King Duncan, hereby sentence Ranger Halt O'Carrick to death if Lord Feller dies. If he lives, Ranger Halt will be tried once again for the deaths of four guards."

Gilan glanced back at the table where he had been sitting and saw several smiles that matched his own. The Ranger looked back to Halt who gave him a slight nod, something that was small but filled Gilan with pride. A crack rang through the room and the small noises that had sprung up fell silent. They looked back to Anthony.

"I'm sorry to end this on a bad note. But Halt, you have something that we need," he said and motioned to his neck. Halt looked down to where his oakleaf necklace was laid on his chest. Gilan's smile faded. That necklace meant everything to Halt and he had only parted with it once before.

Gilan, sensing that Halt didn't know what to do, stepped forward. The grizzled man's guard went to stop him but Duncan waved him off again. The former apprentice reached for the necklace and Halt didn't attempt to stop him from taking it. Instead he held his head high as if it was easy parting.

"Don't worry, you'll get this back," Gilan whispered as he clenched the oakleaf in his hand. Halt showed no sign of hearing him.

**First off, I would like to congratulate those of you who figured this out before it happened. How Halt couldn't be killed cause Feller wasn't dead:) I only know of three...Anyways, please review:) Haha, you people think Halt is safe now...**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

"Something wrong Crowley?" Nick asked as they rode across the drawbridge and into the courtyard of Castle Candell. Around them you could see guards poised with bows on the parapets. Across from the bridge was the keep and cluttered everywhere around it were stalls selling things. It was about an hour before the market would end and not many people were about. It was something they had counted on.

"No," he answered tightly. Underneath his cowl, his face was set in an unreadable mask though his gut felt like it was in a knot. He hadn't laid a foot inside this castle since he was fifteen and was running away to Pritchard's cabin. He had started early as an apprentice since Pritchard had just come across him in the forest but hadn't started officially being an apprentice until he was fifteen. One night, after Feller had beaten him and he had recovered somewhat, Crowley had grabbed his few belongings and the cloak Pritchard had given him and run off. When he had arrived at the cabin, he had finally told his mentor the truth behind his gashes and bruises. The Ranger had been in a deadly mood for some time after that and Crowley feared he would storm off after Feller. Not that he would have minded too terribly much.

"It's going to be fine. The shadows should be long enough for you; we just have to wait for some nobles to head back to their quarters. All you have to do is make it up the keep without being spotted," Nick said. It was an obvious statement; the duo had gone over the plan millions of times but Nick felt it would help keep Crowley focused. He seemed a bit off.

"I know. We leave the horses in the stable and I scale the keep. When I get to Feller's chambers, I get the papers and climb back out. Supposing I don't get caught, I get Cropper back and ride back to the cabin for Abelard then head off back to Castle Araluen," he replied quietly. Nick nodded and looked around them. They were almost to the stables and the crowd was thin around them.

A few more minutes of shoving through the remaining people brought them to the stables. They found two stalls next to each other and settled Cropper and Striker before heading back out to the dwindling number of people. Though not many people would be about, they had thought it best for Nick to be dressed as a farmer. One Ranger picking up supplies would be normal but two Rangers would seem a bit odd. Not many people had ever seen Nick when he was dressed as a Ranger so nobody recognized him. They passed unnoticed through the small crowd for a few minutes. While Nick was busy looking over vegetables, Crowley glanced towards the keep and saw that small groups of nobles were making their way back inside. He nudged Nick who looked over and nodded.

"Looks like it's time for you to leave," he said quietly. Crowley nodded and headed off.

He hesitated in his step a few times so he was positioned behind but not separate from one of the noble groups as they made their way towards the keep. Guards were situated by the large structure waiting for them. Despite Candell being a small fief, the castle was only slightly smaller than Redmont's. One of the most distinguishing features of the castle was the square keep. The castles in Araluen had been constructed when the inhabitants' long gone relatives had taken over the country. Most castle's keeps were cylindrical to defend against battering ram's devastating attacks. Castle Candell, however, had been found in the valley only slightly damaged. A few years of work had brought it back to its former glory with the unique keep.

Crowley followed the group until they were just a few feet away from the large tower. He then detached himself and headed towards one of the stalls situated in the shade. When he was sure that nobody had seen him leave the others, Crowley started doing what Rangers did best. He seemed to vanish into the shadow. Making his way carefully to the keep's wall, Crowley looked up. Living here for fifteen years had given him the knowledge of where most rooms were. At least the rooms he needed. He studied the worn stones once more and felt his already tight gut twist some more. The stones were smooth in a lot of spaces from years of beatings from the wind and every other thing. Taking a deep breath, he felt the wall until he had two handholds. When he had found footholds as well, Crowley began the task of climbing the wall.

From memory, he recalled that the windows he needed to get to Feller's private chambers were located in the middle of the wall high up. Once he made the distance upwards, he would have to shuffle over sideways so he could get to the window. The commandant was around halfway to his destination when he began to have problems. First it was his knives getting hung up on the rougher stones. After a few curses, he got the sheaths shoved around so they were placed away from the wall and he continued on. A few more meters up and he was above the battlements of the castle. He paused and lay flat against the wall to rest for a few seconds and make sure he hadn't been spotted. Realizing he was only a few meters down from where he needed to be, his gut began to ease slightly and some of his guard slipped. Along with his carefulness.

He started up the wall again and, adopting the lack of attention one gets in the final moments of a challenge, missed a handhold for his right hand. The sudden disappearance of support caused him to slip and he felt his right foot slip as well so he was hanging onto the wall with his left side. Below him he could hear shouts and had a sinking feeling that he had been spotted. A few moments of panicked scrambling and cursing found him new footholds and he hurried his way up the wall. He was directly across from the window he needed when the real trouble started.

Even though he had been wearing his cloak, his slip had caused a big movement and a guard watching the keep had spotted him. Apparently they had gathered together a small group of archers. The arrows rattled around the commandant and his heart sprung to his throat as one bounced of the stone an inch or so from his hand. Even though he felt the urge to jump away from the attack, he took a deep breath and settled his nerves. Making his way sideways, now more nervous than he had been when he started, he was about two meters away from the window. The arrows came for him again and he felt several scrape his sides. When he had determined that the volley was over, he began to move again but a late shooter's arrow came and almost hit his head. The surprise of the arrow caused him to jerk back from the wall and loose his footholds. Hanging by his hands, he fumbled for holds in the uneven stones. Another volley came towards him just as he found purchase on the rock.

Taking the remaining stretch of stone carefully, he finally reached the window with quite a few scrapes from the rock and arrows. The commandant gripped the windowsill tightly and hauled himself up, not caring if anybody was in the room or not. He landed catlike on the floor and looked around the dark room. It was fairly big and richly furnished. A large canopy bed resided on the wall to his left and took up most of the room. Across from him was a large wooden door that he knew led out into a narrow corridor while the wall to his right was covered by a large fireplace. Tapestries hung from the walls and looked to be ancient whereas carpets and animal skins covered the floor. Around the fireplace were two large and comfortable looking chairs with a table sitting between them.

When he had determined he was alone, Crowley took stock of his injuries and saw that he was bleeding from several places on his legs. His arms were in a bit better condition with only a scratch near his elbow from when he had lost his grip the first time. His sides were scratched in several places though, and his hands were scraped from the rough stone of the tower. As he reached to shift his knife sheaths back to his side, he grimaced.

"I'm getting too old for this," he muttered as the muscles in his arms flared with pain from the strain of the past ten minutes.

He was starting towards the fireplace when he heard a sound he definitely didn't want or need to hear. Coming closer and closer to the door to the room was the sound of footsteps.

**Okay, most likely not one of my best chapters but this is all you're going to get for around nine days. My computer might be taken away tomorrow to get a check up and then I got camp for a week and a friend's birthday. So you're stuck with this nice little ending for now;) I'd like to come back to a lot of reviews though...**


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**THIS IS THE EDITED VERSION OF CHAPTER 25!**

**Sorry, this is a bit more than nine days but I remembered that my friend's birthday was Saturday and I ended up staying overnight until today soo...yea. I plan to update a lot this week if I can though. **

**Also, could you please vote on my poll on my profile?**

Crowley looked around the room again. The footsteps were growing louder fast and there weren't any sufficient places to hide. Now the footsteps were almost directly outside the door. Making up his mind quickly, Crowley dove towards the fireplace on his right. By the time the footstep's owners were fiddling with the lock to the door, Crowley was squished into the corner of the large fireplace. He heard the door crash back on its hinges but was too busy searching for something above him to care. A hole went up from the fireplace, acting as a chimney of sorts. The Ranger quickly scrambled up the hole, using the rough stone for handholds. His feet were just disappearing when he heard men get close to the empty hearth.

"I don't see him," a deep voice said. Crowley held his breath and clung tighter onto the stones. He felt his already scraped hands start to bleed again.

"Well I know he's here," another voice said. "I saw him climb into the window myself!"

"Ever think he might have already left?" yet another man answered a bit sarcastically. "Let's check the other rooms." With that, the commandant heard clanging as the knights rushed out the door. He waited a few seconds after the door slammed shut before he dared move again.

Crowley, knowing what to do, moved so he would be facing the back of the fireplace if he fell out of the chimney. He swung his feet forward from the solid wall and instead of them hitting the stone that surrounded him; they went through a doorway of sorts. He shoved forward so the rest of him caught up with his feet and he was standing at the foot of a steep set of stairs. This was where he froze. Memories flashed by in his mind of Feller shoving him through the entrance and proceeding to drag him up the stairs. Or of him crawling down the steps, beaten and only half conscious. And even of him having to climb into the entry when Feller had a fire burning below him. The commandant took a deep breath and forced the thoughts away.

"It's not going to happen this time," he assured himself quietly. He knew it was pointless to be afraid of the room; it was just a room after all. The only thing that made him fear it was what had happened in the room.

Quickly he jogged up the stairs, eager to get the job done with. Quite a few times he stumbled due to the lack of light and the oldness of the stairs themselves. The stairs went up in sets. He would climb twelve steps and then they would change direction so it was a square spiral. Eventually he reached the top where a door was set into the wall. The stairs went up no further. The commandant had to take another deep breath to calm his racing heart.

"Just a room," he said as he reached for the door handle.

The door swung open creakily and he stepped into the chamber. It was just as he remembered it. Damp, dim and altogether unpleasant. He looked up at the small window placed high above him and saw that there was barely any light left in the sky. He looked across from the door and felt the memories start to flood back. Most were of him being whipped and beaten by his father and he fought to shove them away. It took a few minutes but eventually he was able to move on. Still uncomfortable, Crowley closed the door behind him and turned to look at it. The whip that had caused him so much pain hung coiled on a hook. Behind the whip was what he had come for; a flat pouch. His father had always had it there. One time, when Feller had finished a beating, Crowley had dared look inside it. What he had seen were a bunch of letters between Feller and some countries that had been enemies to Araluen. Feller had beaten Crowley to near death when he caught him. Now Crowley realized that Feller had always been a murderer and the thought that they were related unsettled him.

The commandant took another deep breath and reached for the whip. His hand clasped around it and he immediately jerked back. Something had pricked him and he looked at the switch closer. There were little barbs on the length of it. He frowned and felt anger boiling inside him. This was what his father had used to torture him. It was bad enough using a regular whip but using a device like this was close to inhumanity. Crowley clenched his teeth and felt his anger spill over. He grabbed the whip, not caring about the many cuts it gave him, and threw it across the room so it smacked the wall. Crowley looked at it with pain in his eyes and felt something come across him. He walked to where it lay on the floor and studied its surroundings. Dried blood was on the cold ground and he knew it was his. The commandant's breathing sped up again and before he knew it, he was caught up in the memories.

_He cowered against the hard wall behind him. It was the only thing he could do. The hand of his father raised and came down upon him in rapid blows that caused pain to flood him. There was nothing he could do to stop the vicious beating; he was merely eight and didn't know what was really happening. The last thing he could recall before Feller had dragged him into the mysterious room was mentioning how he'd like to be a Ranger one day. Feller had promptly grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and brought him here where the pain never seemed to end. He whimpered as his father's fist slammed into his ribs; tears began to run down his face in a stream but he fought back his sobs. At least, he did until the fist hit his nose. A torrent of blood came out and streamed down his face._

_A twelve year old Crowley was slammed into the wall as Feller held him there by his neck. The boy was barely able to get any air and was beginning to fear what was happening. Feller angrily threw Crowley to the ground where he stayed, trying to get air into his empty lungs. When he had regained enough air, Crowley went to stand but he stopped as a searing pain came across his chest. He cried out in pain and felt blood running down his front out of his clothes. Again he felt the terrible pain, this time across his face. Whatever was hurting him nearly hit his eye. It continued and with each new agony came another cry. There was a pause in the torture and Crowley's clenched eyes opened slightly and through the tears he saw something that terrified him. Feller was standing before him with a whip raised for another attack._

"No!" Crowley roared as his eyes flew open. Cold sweat drenched him and he was shaking uncontrollably. Tears stained his face and his voice was unstable. "N…no," he said softly.

After a few minutes, he had himself under enough control to stand though he was still drenched in sweat and he didn't bother to stop his tears. When he had stood, he looked down to the whip that lay below him. Angrily, he kicked it away from him. It held too much misery for him to be near. The commandant walked to the door and grabbed the pouch with trembling fingers. Too shaken to look, Crowley folded it up and placed it in his pocket. He took a deep breath to steady his quickening breath and opened the door to leave. Taking one last look over his shoulder, Crowley felt the need to tell somebody about this room. Most importantly Halt. Nobody had even known it existed besides him and his father. But for some reason he decided it should stay like that. Just like the Kalkara, some things were best forgotten.

Closing the door behind him, Crowley exited the room and started back down the long sets of stairs. By the time he was at the bottom of the stairs, Crowley was somewhat stable. The tears had stopped but he felt the need to distance himself from the room. He jumped down into the fireplace, sending a cloud of ash up and ducked so he could climb out into the room. Dusting himself off, Crowley looked around the room. It was empty but something felt wrong. He finally realized that there was only the dim light of the moon lighting everything up. It was later than it should have been and he felt his gut twist. Because of his memories, he had spent more time than he should have in the chamber. The commandant rushed to the window. He was just about to climb out the window when he heard voices outside the room. The commandant hurried to get positioned but wasn't fast enough. The door opened and in stepped somebody he never thought he'd see again.

"Seth," Crowley breathed from his perch on the windowsill.

**uh-oh, that's not good...Please review, it is much appriciated if you point out things that are wrong**


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OF YOU AWESOMELY AWESOME AND EPIC PEOPLES WHO HAVE REVIEWED! I NOW HAVE 203, THAT'S RIGHT, YOU HEARD ME, 203 REVIEWS FOR THIS! I SHALL CELEBRATE WITH AN ICEPOP**

Crowley froze; it was all he really could do at the moment. He was still inside the room and if he tried to climb down the wall he was sure he'd die. All Seth would have to do was throw something at him to knock him off the wall. For a seemingly long while, the two brothers just stood looking at each other. Seth was almost a replica of Feller in appearance. Though he was shorter and his features were more defined. Seth also lacked the chubbier gut of Feller that years of living like a royal could bring. Crowley climbed off of his perch and faced his younger brother. The last time he had seen him, Seth had been nine and learning the ways of their father. Crowley doubted Seth knew who he was; it had been a long time.

Seth quickly lunged forward and grabbed Crowley who didn't even try to evade him. There was no point in it at the moment. Even if he did manage to get past Seth, there were bound to be guards in the hall to capture him. The Ranger knew that now wasn't the time to get free; he'd have to wait. Seth grabbed the Ranger's forearm in an iron grip and slapped back his cowl to reveal Crowley's face. Crowley looked at him with an emotionless face and Seth smiled wolfishly.

"So it's true," he said in a quiet and gleeful voice. "The coward has come back." Crowley let some anger show in his eyes but it only caused Seth's smile to broaden. Suddenly his hopes of Seth not recognizing him crumbled, Feller would have told him that the Ranger's death was fake.

"Well it is my home," Crowley replied icily. He felt nothing for Candell and the reply was just something to say.

"No, it isn't. You ran off with that old snoop Pritchard. You chose to leave us," he said. Crowley glared at him. "And now you're back for some odd reason," he added thoughtfully. Seth looked at Crowley with a furrowed brow.

"Why are you doing this Seth?" Crowley asked. Time was ticking and if he wanted to help Halt he needed to leave now. Though he couldn't make a run for it at the moment, he could try and talk his way out.

"Doing what?" Seth snapped.

"Holding me. I haven't done anything," Crowley replied innocently. He was a bit shorter than Seth. The commandant tried to twist out of his brother's grip and was surprised to find that Seth held onto him easily.

"Don't lie, that just makes things worse. My guards saw you climbing up the wall. And from what I know, people don't normally climb walls just for fun. You're up to something," he said and his brow furrowed deeper. "Tell me what you were doing," he demanded.

"Nothing that concerns you." Crowley's voice was grim as he looked into his younger brother's eyes. Seth met the steady stare evenly and Crowley couldn't help but think what Seth would be like if Feller hadn't gotten to him.

"You're in my castle and whatever happens in here concerns me," Seth snarled as he brought his face a few centimeters away from Crowley's. "Answer me," he growled.

"It isn't your castle," Crowley responded. "It's Feller's and if it's not his, then it's rightfully mine."

"Father is close to the end of his reign and you're supposedly dead. It's my castle," Seth snarled and Crowley had a feeling that Seth was losing patience.

"No matter whose castle this is, I'm still confused as to why you're holding a King's Ranger. I'm technically on King's business," Crowley said. Seth looked at him with disgust.

"I don't give a damn if you're on King's business or not. You were snooping around here for some reason and I want to know why." Seth frowned. He knew that Feller had gone to Araluen but he hadn't yet heard of the mess that had occurred. The sudden appearance of Crowley added to his uneasiness and he was beginning to realize something had gone wrong. And that their assassin plan was being figured out. "Tell me."

Crowley stayed silent and Seth felt his easy temper build. He clenched his hand into a fist and delivered a blow to Crowley's temple but the Ranger ducked out of the way. Crowley got free of his brother's grip and as he straightened, he twisted as to punch Seth in the jaw. Seth's head jerked back and Crowley went to follow up with a left hook to the gut but Seth recovered faster than he had expected and easily avoided the blow. The brothers were now facing each other, neither was sure of what to do. Crowley didn't want to draw a knife on his own brother; though he wasn't fond of Seth, it seemed wrong and Crowley felt he had done enough things against the law lately. Not to mention that Seth was still a brother no matter what. But if he didn't, then he was going to be captured. Still, Crowley couldn't bring himself to do that to his blood relative. His resistance to fight mercilessly when uncalled for was just another reason Feller had deemed him weak.

"Help!" yelled Seth and at least ten guards poured into the room. The men formed a circle around the two. Five held loaded crossbows and pointed them at Crowley while the other five held swords in the ready position. "Grab him," he snarled and two of the men sheathed their swords and jumped forward to grab Crowley's arms. The commandant struggled against them and even got a few punches on them but another guard came to help and he was forced into submission. The Ranger raised his head to look at his brother and didn't bother to hide his anger.

"Let me go!" he yelled. He had finally gotten what he needed to save Halt and now his brother was ruining everything. Crowley couldn't help the hate that surged through him.

"Tell me what you were doing," Seth demanded once again as he shoved his face close to Crowley's.

"No," Crowley stated and grimaced as Seth's fist slammed into his nose. He felt the hot blood running down his face and had to spit some away so he could open his mouth without having the blood flood it. Angry, he strained against his captors but they held him securely.

"Answer me when I ask you something!" Seth roared and punched Crowley again, this time in his left eye. Unlike the last time, Crowley accepted the blow and didn't strain to escape. Instead he decided on another strategy.

"Why are you doing this to me? I'm your brother Seth. I never had any problems with you; it was all me and Feller," Crowley said. He was playing the only card he had left. Seth may have been raised and trained by Feller but he was still human. He still had feelings; at least Crowley hoped he did. And brothers were brothers, no matter what.

"You aren't my brother! You're a sick coward that runs around hiding in shadows!" Seth bellowed. Crowley had the sudden feeling that Seth was trying to convince himself that what he was doing was right. "You ran off with Pritchard and you never came back!"

"How the hell was I supposed to come back? Our dear father wanted to kill me, mother was dead and you were turning into Feller. What was I supposed to come back for?" Crowley said angrily. "Sure, I wanted the damn fief. I always wanted to be a baron. But if that meant either being tortured by Feller or turning into him, I didn't want it. Then again, you wouldn't know what that felt like. To be beaten close to death by your own father because he didn't approve of doing something for somebody else. You were just his little puppet. I'd be willing to bet that if he asked you to, you'd have killed our mother. As long as it meant you got to have this damn fief," Crowley thundered. At the look in Seth's eyes, he knew he had gone too far.

"Take him to the dungeon," Seth ordered. Crowley looked into his eyes and saw hate matching his own.

"Seth, don't do this," Crowley said sternly. "It will just prove you're like Feller."

Instead of answering, Seth raised his fist and drove a solid right hook into the side of Crowley's head. The commandant's body went limp and Seth took a deep breath.

"Get him out of here," he snarled. "And don't do anything to him until I get down there."

**READ PLLLLLEEEEEAAAAASSSSEEEE:Okay, I think Crowley was beaten a bit easily but hear me out. Crowley is Crowley and even though Seth is one of those people you would like to slam their head through several million walls and then shove them into the ocean and watch as a shark eats them and then proceed to throw them up so they end up in millions of pieces on the bottom of the ocean, he is Crowley's brother and I don't think Crowley would draw a knife on him. Tell me what you think along with things I did wrong if you would be so kind:)**


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

Crowley's right eye fluttered open and he gave a small groan. His head was throbbing and his left eye refused to open at all. Along with that, his nose felt like it had been smashed into his face. For a few moments he lay still, staring up at the stone ceiling above him. The commandant forced himself up into a sitting position so he was looking at the door to the dank cell. The only light came from a torch placed high above the door. Crowley arched his head back against the wall so he was looking back up at the ceiling again and sighed. His thoughts began to wander until they came to rest on Seth. Feller had started teaching him at an early age so as not to have him end up like Crowley. Never had Seth really paid Crowley any attention, in fact, they could have been strangers to each other. Despite that, Crowley had always wondered what Seth would have been like if Feller hadn't gotten to him. He might have been a good man at one point but Feller had manipulated him. Crowley even remembered at time when he lived in the castle and Seth had witnessed Feller yelling at their mother. Though Seth hadn't seen him, Crowley had watched as his brother went up to their mother when Feller had left and comfort her. He had been eight at the time; but Feller had been working on Seth for a long time. Nothing good showed in him anymore.

Crowley was snapped out of his thoughts as the door to the cell opened almost soundlessly. He brought his limited sight down from the ceiling to see what was happening and sighed mentally. Seth walked into the cell and only now was Crowley aware of how defenseless he was. His bow and arrows were with Cropper and his knives had apparently been taken from him when he was tossed into the dungeon room. Crowley stood up, causing his head to go spinning. The door swung shut behind Seth and Crowley was aware of how bad the situation seemed for him.

"You have two options," Seth said in a low voice. "You can either tell me what's happened to father and why you're here willingly, or you can make this hard." Crowley looked at him with a glare.

"Feller is dead for all I know. He was at Araluen and I left when it was discovered he might not live," Crowley said. He was sick of these obscure answers he had been giving lately but it had to be done. Seth's brows drew together as he processed what that might mean.

"Why might father die?" he growled. Crowley stayed silent. "Answer me!" Seth roared. He raised his right hand and Crowley barely had time to get out of the way as Seth tried to stab him with a knife. The commandant backed against the wall and watched Seth carefully.

"I stabbed him," Crowley answered quietly. He didn't really care if Seth knew the truth or not right now. Just the fact that his own brother had drawn a knife on him told him that lying now wouldn't be smart.

"Why?" snarled Seth as he slammed Crowley against the wall and held the knife against his throat. "And don't lie."

"I don't know." Crowley looked away from Seth's furious face and instead focused on the flickering light of the torch.

"I said don't lie!" Seth yelled in Crowley's face and put pressure on the knife. Crowley felt a small trickle run down his neck but he stayed silent. "Fine. You think you're brave now. Not giving answers and all but just you wait. Wait until you're starving and desperate. Then you'll talk," Seth growled with a bit of anticipation in his voice. He brought the knife up and slashed a deep cut below Crowley's already bruised eye. The Ranger couldn't help the cry of pain that came from him and Seth smiled grimly. "So pathetic. You won't last long." With that, he released Crowley and turned towards the door.

Crowley, fed up with being treated like this by his family, saw an opportunity. As his incalculable anger numbed the pain of his body and forced him into action, Crowley lunged forward and tackled Seth who collapsed onto the ground with a startled yelp. The knife spun out of his grip and Crowley grabbed it. The commandant stood and pointed the knife down at his brother who was rolling onto his back. His left eye was starting to throb and he could feel a torrent of blood but at the moment he couldn't have cared less. The feeling of holding a knife at Seth filled him with distaste; it was something he thought was wrong in all ways but his anger took over his body once again. He was sick of Feller, and now Seth, treating him like they had. They barely knew him yet they called him weak and pathetic. Added onto that was how they seemed to think they could harm him because he didn't do what they wanted.

"Shut up," Crowley said furiously. Seth went to stand up but Crowley brought his leg around in an arcing kick and slammed it into his side. Seth fell back onto the ground, wheezing. "You were right Seth. I may be your brother in blood but in any other way we aren't connected. You don't count me as a brother I sure as hell don't count you as mine. A real brother wouldn't have stood by all those years and watched me get tortured! A brother wouldn't be treating me like this! I have a real brother and he's better than any man you'll ever dream of being," he added. His voice was growing in anger and in volume yet Seth just glared at him.

"Oh and who is this? Is it your coward friend Halt? He's just another pathetic thing," he sneered and Crowley tried to steady his anger. He failed. Seth had crossed a line holding a knife to Crowley's throat and now he proceeded to destroy that line by insulting Halt. The commandant brought the knife down so it was positioned right above Seth's heart. Seth gave a small laugh. "You won't do it."

"And why is that?" Crowley snapped back though he knew Seth was right. He knew that if their positions were switched, Seth wouldn't hesitate to kill him but that was what set them apart. He was no killer.

"Because you are weak. You always were and you always will be. You haven't the guts to kill me," Seth teased with a taunting grin. Crowley kept the knife above Seth's heart and was surprised to see his hands weren't shaking with how much anger he held.

"If I'm so damn weak then how did I survive being beaten every hellish day of my life here?" Crowley shouted furiously. "If I'm so damn weak then how can I live my life knowing that I come from a family like this?" he added and moved the knife away from Seth's heart and slammed the hilt into his head. Seth growled and Crowley hit him again. This time Seth's body went limp. "If I'm weak then I have no idea what you are," he said in a quiet voice and went to the door.

Still with the knife in his hand, Crowley creaked the door open and peered into the corridor beyond. It was lit evenly with torches. Two guards stood at each side of the door and Crowley closed the door quietly.

"Help!" he bellowed and moved to one side of the door. Being brothers, Seth and his voices were similar enough that the guards could mistake him for Seth. Outside he heard the guards moving and in a few seconds they burst into the room. As soon as they had passed him, Crowley slipped out of the room and sprinted away. Behind him he heard yelling and the rattling of armor.

He raced through the hallways, knowing exactly where he was heading. Finally he burst out of a door and ended up in the courtyard where merchants were filing towards the drawbridge. It was completely dark and everybody should have already been gone but his appearance on the side of the keep had called for a lockdown. The drawbridge had been raised and the crowd searched. When he had been captured, they would have allowed the people to finally leave. Judging from the moon and lack of stars, Crowley estimated he'd been out for only an hour or two. As he rushed through the crowd, he shoved past anybody in his way and in a few seconds he was at the stables. Mounting Cropper hurriedly, the commandant noticed that Nick's horse was gone. He didn't have much time to think anything of it as he heard yelling coming from the guards that had followed him. And it sounded as if they had gathered some of their buddies. Crowley tapped Cropper's sides and the sturdy horse went into a gallop. Trusting the people to get out of the way, the horse barreled towards the drawbridge. Too many people were on it for the guards to raise it and Crowley could taste his victory. Continuing to shove past people, Crowley made it to the path on the other side of the bridge and angled towards the road that would take him to Nick's cabin to retrieve Abelard. At last he was on his way out of Candell.

**Yay, Crowlz pushed around his baby bro:) Please review(the more critical the more appriciated)**


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**Yay, two updates in one day! At least I think it was one day...it's summer, I am not expected to know what day it is**

**This is for you, Sh'rah, I have decided to take mercy upon you**

Halt lay on the bed in the infirmary with his hands on his chest. His arm still pained him when he moved it any and his calf would throb occasionally and protest when he stood on it but it held his weight. He stared up at the rocky ceiling above him and pondered what had happened during the trial not an hour before. Unconsciously, his hand with the uninjured arm rubbed his neck. The absence of his Ranger necklace was affecting him more than he had thought it would. Something didn't feel right; it had been with him forever it seemed and its absence was unusual. Ignoring that for the moment, Halt's thoughts switched to what Gilan had done. Part of him was happy that his former apprentice had bought him time but the other part of him was irritated. It just meant that the entire mess was going to drag on until Feller either died or lived. Though Halt had to admit it was a good move; there was a slim possibility that Feller might live and experience had taught him that a slim possibility was better than no possibility. He'd seen miracles before.

After a few more minutes pondering, the Ranger's mind brought up the subject of Crowley. He had noticed the commandant's lack of attendance at the trial. If anything, he had expected Crowley to be there. It didn't seem right that he hadn't been there. Halt's brow creased as he thought over the potential reasons his friend hadn't been there. Crowley had seemed angry that Halt was doing this and Halt had even expected Crowley to belt out the truth in the middle of the trial. The thought occurred to him that Crowley may have gone back to Candell to claim the position of baron that was his. Last he had seen Crowley had been when Feller was expected to die so it would make sense. Still, Halt didn't think Crowley was like that. Whether the commandant wanted to be a baron or not, Halt didn't know but he knew Crowley wouldn't just leave him to die. Especially in a situation like the one they were in now.

The hours rolled on and on undisturbed. When it was growing dark outside, a small meal was brought to Halt. Just some bread with cheese and water; he was still considered a prisoner. When he had finished the little food, he set the tray down by the door and resumed his position on his bed. It was an hour or so before drowsiness began to take him over. Just as his eyes were dropping closed, there was a quiet knock on the door. Halt frowned and sat up in his bed to look at the door. Duncan had abandoned leaving guards outside his room seeing as he didn't think Halt would try anything. Halt was in the prisoner area of the royal infirmary anyways where inmates with serious injuries were held. Outside the door was a short hallway with a few other rooms branching off. From the hallway, one would then find themselves in a small room with several guards. The door leading out of that room would bring you to the royal infirmary where Feller was now situated. The place would be pretty hard to stroll out of. There was no reason for anybody to be knocking at his door; nobody retrieved the tray until morning and the guards were trained not to let anybody down the hallway. Whoever it was would have had to slip past the guards and purposely tried to stay out of sight. And Halt knew that only a Ranger could have accomplished that. Curiosity peaked, Halt sat up in his bed and watched the door. Almost immediately after the knock, a small piece of folded parchment slipped under the door.

Halt's frown deepened and he waited for something more to happen but nothing did. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and winced as his calf shot waves of pain up him. When the pain had ceased, Halt walked over to the door and picked up the piece of parchment. He skimmed it once and felt his heart start to beat fast. Reading it a second time to make sure he hadn't read it wrong, Halt felt his anger grow as the meaning to the words hit him. He crumpled the message and dropped it to the floor.

"Dammit Gil," he cursed and ran a hand through his hair.

The crumpled note on the floor read: _Sorry Halt. I gave everybody false hope. Feller's going to die anyways but it doesn't have to be you that is killed for it._ And it was written in Gilan's familiar scrawl. There were only a few things that that could mean and knowing Gilan, it meant he was going to deal with matters his own way. Halt thought for a few moments. He couldn't let this happen. What Gilan was planning to do wouldn't accomplish much except switching his and Halt's places. At first Halt thought it might have been a bluff and just Gilan reacting out of anger but he knew the man all too well. When Gilan planned to do something, there was little that could stop him.

"I really hate apprentices," Halt muttered as he planned how to break out of the room.

* * *

Crowley felt the cold night air slapping against his face as he rode Abelard through the trees. He was going at a pace a bit faster than the forced march pace but the horses seemed to be holding up well. It had been about half an hour since he had left Candell and it was still going to take him at least a day and a half to get back to Castle Araluen. That is, if he stood any chance of saving Halt. The commandant's first instinct had been to push the horses as fast as they could go but he knew that'd only come back to bite him in the long run. At the moment his nerves were eating away at him and he felt he could run to the castle himself from how much adrenalin was coursing through him.

To distract himself, Crowley pulled out the pouch that was still in his pocket. He had been surprised to find it still there; he had half expected Seth to discover it but he had realized Seth didn't know about the room. Therefore he most likely didn't know about the papers. Feller would have only trusted the secret of their existence to those he sent to recruit the assassins. Seth may have been Feller's second in command and son but he still wouldn't trust him. The commandant opened the bag and grabbed a piece of parchment that looked to be a list. He slowed Abelard a bit so he could read it without the jostling. It took a few moments but eventually he deciphered what it had said. The assumption it had been a list was correct and Crowley felt his heart start pounding fast while his gut twisted at what the list was of.

There was a short list of names, all but two with lines through them. All the ones with a line through them had dates written next to them along with names. As he looked for one name in particular, Crowley had to force himself to calm down. He was almost to the bottom of the list and was starting to calm down at its absence. His sense of ease vanished as he spotted the name at the end of the list. And next to it were the words 'Bernard and Victor deployed'.

Suddenly the need to get to Castle Araluen was a lot more urgent.

**OOOOOHHHH that's like two cliffies. IT'S A DOUBLE CLIFFIE! Please review(Critical, critical, critical)**


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**I feel all special like:) Without author's notes and disclaimers, this story has reached 40,318 words:):):):)**

Halt took a deep breath and looked around the dark room he had inhabited for the past few days. Despite the fact that his time out of the room was sure not to be pleasant, he was somewhat eager. He had been trapped inside the room for longer than he had wanted to be and it was aggravating not being able to see what was going on outside. Of course, he wasn't going to be able to catch up on everything when he left this time. No, this time if he got free he'd have to deal with a very annoying and determined former apprentice. Halt looked back to the door and started hitting it and making a ruckus.

After a few minutes of his constant pounding and yelling, he heard somebody approach the door. He heard a rattle of keys then the door swung open and a guard dressed in chainmail entered the room. Halt, gripping his dinner tray, slammed it into the side of the man's head as hard as he could. The guard stumbled and Halt repeated the action. The guard went to face Halt and Halt quickly grabbed the man's head. He placed a hand over the guard's mouth and squeezed his nose so he couldn't breathe. The man struggled against the hold and tried to call out but Halt clung on tightly. After a few moments, the man went limp and Halt dropped him. Halt quickly moved to the door and eased it closed before returning to the unconscious form on the ground. Quickly Halt removed the man's chainmail shirt and pulled it over his head, muttering a few curses as the rough metal rubbed against his bandaged arm. It was loose on him and a bit long but not noticeably so. When that was done, Halt removed the guard's sword belt with the sword and placed that on his hip. Lastly he took the chainmail hauberk and placed it so it covered his head and shoulders. If anybody had looked closely, they could have recognized it was Halt and not the guard but the getup would do for quick glances. And that was all Halt planned to give people.

He dragged the still unconscious man's body away from the door and rolled it under his bed. The few pillows that had been on the bed were tucked under the blankets to give the appearance of somebody sleeping there. With that done, Halt headed back to the door and opened it. He stepped out into the dimly lit corridor and headed towards the door at the end. There were a few guards patrolling the hallway but they paid him no heed as he strolled past them. The trick, he had learned from much experience, was to walk as if you belonged. His calf throbbed with every step but he forced himself to ignore it and not limp. When he had reached the end of the passage, he opened the second door and entered a small room. It was brightly lit but lacked decoration. There were two guards standing on either side of the door he had just emerged from. Directly across the chamber was another door guarded by two more men.

"What was all that ruckus about?" queried the guard on Halt's left. Halt just gave a slight shrug.

"Prisoner thought he'd get some attention," he answered gruffly. The man looked a bit amused.

"Well you showed him then didn't you, Arthur?" said the man on the right with a small chuckle. Halt gave a brief nod and started towards the second door.

"Where do you think you're going?" the man from his right called. Halt stopped and turned to face him.

"I need to speak to King Duncan. The prisoner was Ranger Halt," he said simply. The man seemed to shrink back some at the words. It was obvious that nobody wanted to get involved in that.

Halt started forwards again and was let through the second door without trouble. He found himself in the royal infirmary with beds for the ill to his right. The room was fairly empty with only a few beds being occupied. Several cots had curtains drawn around them, providing somewhat privacy for those who lay behind them. Across the room from him was a door leading to a room where those in critical condition stayed. It was where Feller would be. The room he was in now had torches placed every few meters on the wall. Combined with the moonlight coming in from the large windows behind the beds, it gave the room an eerie feel. Removing his borrowed equipment, Halt took stock of his situation. He had passed through the guards without trouble but now he'd have to be careful. Silent as he could be, Halt made his way towards the door ahead of him. The door opened on creaky hinges but he was relieved to see it didn't cause any of the sleeping patients to stir.

Inside the room was a row of beds. Only one bed was occupied. Halt did his best to hide in the shadows without a cloak. It wasn't a great job but it would do for now.

* * *

Gilan took a deep breath and went over the plan he had devised once again. He was in the apartment he had resided in since he arrived at Castle Araluen and was about ready to start off for the infirmary. His bow lay on the table in front of him along with his quiver. He would leave them behind as they wouldn't be useful for what he needed. On his hip were his double knife scabbard and his two knives. He was about to stand up and leave when he heard a knock on the door. As had been his custom the past few days, he didn't respond. And as had become Will's custom, the young Ranger entered the room anyways.

"What are you doing?" Will asked as he took stock of the weapons lying on the table. Frowning, Will took a seat across from Gilan who was stony faced.

"Getting ready for bed," Gilan responded darkly. Will raised an eyebrow.

"Tell me the truth Gil, what are you up to?"

"I'm going to save Halt," confessed Gilan. His tone was still dark and as his eyes locked onto Will's, Will knew Gilan was serious.

"How's that? You can't break him out; he won't leave with you." Will thought it best to simply go along with Gilan's thoughts for the moment. Rejecting them immediately would only make Gilan more determined.

"I'm not going to break him out," Gilan said flatly. Will looked at him confused. Suddenly the Ranger's eyes widened a bit.

"No Gil. You can't," Will said quickly.

"I can and I will. Feller is going to die. Sure, I made it seem as if some miracle was going to happen but do you truly believe that? Right now everybody is clinging onto the hope that Feller will live. So much that they're probably convinced that he is going to live. But let's face it; we both know he's going to die. If I do this then Halt will be able to live," he explained. Will was already shaking his head.

"No. I admit that I don't think Feller is going to live. But Gil, is this really the way to solve it? Halt wouldn't want you doing this," Will answered. His thoughts were going about a million miles an hour. He wanted to save Halt just as much as Gilan did but if he knew one thing; it was that this was not a good plan. "Gil, I want to help Halt as much as you do but this isn't the answer."

"Why isn't it Will?" Gilan asked as he stood up.

"Because Halt wouldn't want us to do this," Will answered desperately.

"Halt never wants us doing anything to help him yet he'd do it if we were in switched positions. I never had any objection to that because he always had a plan. This time there is no chance for him so I'm going to make a chance," Gilan answered and started towards the door.

"Wait," Will sighed. Gilan turned to face him. "If you're going to do this then I want to come," he said. Gilan thought for a moment then nodded briefly.

"Fine."

**Yes, yes, Will was a bit off and Halt's escape was lame but it'll do for what needs to be done. Please review**


	30. Chapter 30

**dISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN RANGER'S APPRENTICE OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS**

**I want to say again how awesome all of you reviewers are because if you go to the button thing on the homepage of RA fanfiction and search for the story with most reviews, mine is second:):):):):):):):)**

Gilan ghosted through the corridors with Will following him. When he got to the door leading to the infirmary, he stopped and looked down the hallway to make sure it was only them. At this late hour there was nobody else about so Gilan opened the door a crack and peered in. Seeing no movement, he opened the door all the way and stepped in. Will followed and soon they were at the door leading into Feller's room. Gilan raised a hand to stop Will.

"Wait out here and tell me if anybody comes," he whispered. Will frowned. "There's nothing you can do in there and it'd be best if I were the only one seen with the knife when they come in the morning."

"You're going to stay in there once you've done it?" Will asked incredulously. Gilan nodded somberly.

"I have to, otherwise they'll think Halt snuck out and did it," he answered. "Just stand guard. I'm going to talk to him before I do it." Will was reluctant but nodded his understanding.

Gilan turned back to the door and took a deep breath. He opened it and cringed at the slight creak. Stepping into the room, he closed the door behind him. Against the wall to his left was a row of beds, only one was occupied. To his right was a line of windows that lent the room the dim light. Gilan swallowed and started towards the bed with his hand on his saxe knife's hilt. He was almost to the bed when he felt a hand on his shoulder. A bit startled, Gilan unsheathed the knife and spun around. The movement took less than a second.

"Halt," he said to the angry man before him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Halt growled. Gilan couldn't meet Halt's eyes.

"I think I should be asking you the same thing," Gilan answered and winced as Halt's grip on his shoulder grew painful.

"I'm here because I got your damn note," Halt snarled. Gilan went silent. "Get out of here."

"No. I need to do something," Gilan said quietly. Halt glared at him and kept the tight grip on Gilan's shoulder.

"No you don't. There's nothing for you to be doing here," Halt answered. Gilan finally managed to meet Halt's eyes evenly.

"Let me do this or I'll call for the guards and just do this tomorrow night," he said quietly and one of Halt's eyebrows shot up.

"Oh really? So you come to 'help' me and then you just call the guards on me?" Halt asked and his tone was furious. Gilan felt his temper rising.

"Just let me go!" he said and had to check his volume. Halt shook his head.

"No Gilan. Go back to your room," he said steadily. Gilan didn't move. Halt grabbed Gilan's hand that held the saxe knife and ripped the weapon away from him. "I said go," Halt added threateningly. Gilan tried to grab the knife back but Halt held it away from him. "I will call the guards. And then we'll both be in trouble." The tone of Halt's voice showed that he meant it and Gilan's temper flared.

"I just don't want you to die!" Gilan shouted without caring if anybody heard. "And I don't get why you won't let me do this! I know what I'm getting myself into!" Halt eased his grip on his former apprentice's shoulder.

"No. You don't," Halt said softly, his previous anger still there but forced not to show. "You think that this is as simple as you kill Feller and I go free but it's not. If you kill Feller you take my place in the murder case but what about the kidnapping? Not to mention that nobody will believe that you did this because you wanted to. King Duncan and those we know might but none others. They'll think I somehow forced you to do this. Especially if we're found here together," Halt explained calmly. Gilan shook his head.

"Then go back to your room, Halt. If you're there they can't say you did this," Gilan said desperately. He felt tears at the corner of his eyes. From anger or from true sadness of what was to become of Halt, he didn't know. Either way he refused to let them spill over.

"They'll know I was here. I rather have nothing happen though so they don't believe I did anything," Halt said and released his hold of Gilan's shoulder.

"I could-"

"Go back to your room," Halt interrupted. "Now," he added firmly. Gilan went to argue but looked into Halt's eyes and saw that he wouldn't get anywhere. Instead he gave a small nod.

"I'm sorry Halt," he said as he walked towards the door. Halt watched him silently.

When the door had swung shut to the room. Halt looked down at the weapon in his hand. He'd have to get rid of it before he went back to his room. Still angry with Gilan, he started towards the door after a few moments of thinking.

"I don't know why you're doing this," a voice said from behind him before he reached the door. Halt spun around and looked at the occupied bed. The voice wasn't weak but it wasn't strong either. If he was angry at Gilan then he was downright furious with Feller. With an enormous amount of self-control, Halt opted to ignore it and turned back around. "You're little plan won't work anyways." Halt turned back around and walked towards the bed.

"And why is that?" he snarled. He really didn't feel in any mood to speak to Feller.

"Because Crowley won't allow it," he said simply.

"Crowley's not even at Castle Araluen right now," Halt spat.

"No and that's the point. If I die, then you are killed and he's forced to live knowing you died for him. He's weak. He'll come clean and then either kill himself or be banished for lying, in which case, he'll kill himself anyways. If I live, then you're banished and Crowley will come after you. Either way it'll end in you failing what you wanted to do," Feller said with amusement.

"That won't happen," Halt growled. "He's not weak; he knows I'm doing this of my own free will not because he wants me to."

"You think he's stronger than he is. You think you know him but I'd be willing to bet that he only just told you who I am to him," Feller said and looked up at Halt who stood at his bedside. The baron's face was pale in the moonlight.

"That doesn't matter," Halt said in a low and dangerous tone. His anger was on the rise again.

"He's a coward. He's a sneak and he's altogether pathetic-"Feller stopped as Halt brought the knife to his throat.

"It'd be in your best interest to shut up," the grim man said threateningly. Feller gave a small laugh and grinned.

"You wouldn't dare," he said teasingly.

"Don't test me."

"You won't because you can't. I didn't miss that little meeting right there. You can't because I might live and therefore you might live. All of those that are close to you couldn't bear to have you die and you don't want to cause them pain. You're just as much a weakling as Crowley," Feller said in an amused tone. Halt put pressure on the knife, drawing some blood.

"Call me what you want. Call Crowley one more name and I'll do it," said Halt. He was barely audible and his Hibernian accent was pronounced, proof of his anger.

"I could call him anything I wanted and you still wouldn't do it. You're just as much a coward as he is!" Feller said with a little laugh.

"Name one time he was a coward," Halt snarled, trying to still his anger.

"Oh I could name seven years of cowardice from him. Every time I beat him he whimpered and sniveled. And not once did he stand up and face me," Feller answered easily.

"What?" Halt's snarl was almost inaudible but his accent was clear in it.

"He never told you?" Feller asked sarcastically. "I told you that you didn't know him."

"What are you talking about?" Halt managed to spit out.

"Well I don't fancy telling you while you have this knife against my throat," Feller responded. More pressure came on the knife but it eased quickly. "Good boy. Now give me the knife," he said seriously. Halt paused but decided to hand it over. Not only for Feller's safety but for his own. It wouldn't do any good to slit his neck…yet.

"Now tell me what you are talking about," said Halt through clenched teeth.

"Again, I'm surprised that you two cowards are so close yet he didn't tell you this." Feller paused for a moment to enjoy Halt's anger. "Well you see, Crowley decided at a young age that he'd start being one of those pathetic men that call themselves Rangers. I'd say he was around eight at the time. Well, I wouldn't stand for one of my sons wanting to be one of them. Quite frankly, I don't know why he'd want to be one. All they do is snoop around, sticking their noses where they don't belong. Anyways, I found this convenient little room one day while I was burying some…papers in the ashes of the fire. Perfect place to teach bad children. So any time he showed characteristics I deemed unneeded for being a baron, I'd take him up there. It started with hitting him but after a while he didn't seem to react to that. So I bought a whip. Specially made with barbs up the length-"Feller was cut off as Halt's fist smashed into his nose with a brutal force.

Halt had listened to the man with increasing anger. He had barely contained it when Feller had mentioned hitting Crowley but when he had heard of the whip, his temper had snapped. Not caring what would happen to himself, Halt ripped the knife out of Feller's grip. Furious with the man before him, Halt raised the knife and mercilessly drove it through Feller's heart.

**I'd be willing to bet almost all of you were waiting for this to happen and are not to disappointed to see it happen...please review, I think Halt was a bit OOC please be critical**


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters (and sadly I don't own union jack duct tape:()**

**Oh my Gorlog! I got a bunch of reviews for last chapter from people that I had no idea were even reading this! Gracias mi amigos! All of you reviewers are epic though...so yea.**

Halt didn't stop there though. When the knife was hilt deep, he twisted it and released as he watched blood flow out of the man. Though he knew he shouldn't have done that, and now he was certainly going to die, Halt couldn't help the small feeling of pleasure that came over him. He had wanted to hit Feller since Crowley told him about his past and the beatings just gave him a reason to go one step farther. Despite the small pleasure he had from his action, Halt felt a bit bad. It was Crowley's father after all and he didn't know how the commandant would react to the news. For all the commandant knew, it was his jab that had killed Feller. Halt's anger began to fade after a few seconds but when the door to the room opened he didn't care. Guards were bound to be coming one time or another and the nurse might have had to check on Feller. Hands raised to prove he was defenseless, he turned around. And as he turned around he was just in time to get slashed across his front by a knife held by Matthew. Blood started to come out and a pain flared up in his chest, distracting him. Matthew lunged forward and slammed the hilt of his knife into Halt's temple. Halt collapsed to the floor unconscious. The last thing he heard was the frantic yelling of Matthew.

* * *

Halt gave a small groan as he came back to the waking world. He kept his eyes closed; the task seemed pointless and his eyelids felt like lead anyways. Around him he heard movements and he could feel a tingling running from his right shoulder across his chest and to the left side of his midriff. His head was pounding and after a few moments of the pain he decided to open his eyes. The room was the same as he had been locked up in since the first incident. The room was as bright as it could get considering its small window and the few candles that sat on the table to his right. A healer had his back to him and was digging through a bag on the table. Halt looked down at his bare chest and saw a red bandage covering the cut. The raggedy shirt he had been wearing was nowhere to be seen.

The healer turned back to Halt with a new linen bandage. The man was elderly and Halt recognized him as one of the King's healers. Avoiding eye contact and ignoring the fact Halt was awake, the man began the task of removing the old bandage. Halt stayed silent as well, wincing imperceptibly as the man applied a salve to keep the wound from getting infected. Once it was bandaged again, the healer packed up his stuff and left the room. Halt laid his head back onto the pillow and stared at the ceiling. It nagged at him what he had done.

Though he would do it again a million times if he had to, there was still the fact that it was Crowley's father. No matter what, it was his best friend's father. Crowley had been aggravated with himself for stabbing Feller. Though Halt knew Crowley held no affection for the baron, a father was a father and there was always something there. Just like there had been with Halt and Ferris. Even if Feller was a despicable and easy to hate person, he was part of Crowley's family and that wouldn't change. Halt sighed. He shouldn't have stabbed Feller, he should have left him to die like he had been but hearing of how Crowley had been treated had caused him to snap. Halt had had to deal with the reality he was about to die and not one but two upset apprentices. He was still angry with Feller over coming after Crowley and learning of the beatings had just pushed him too far. Crowley was sure to react in a good way to the news but Halt had the feeling he had crossed an invisible line. Killing your best friend's dad, no matter what that dad was like, wasn't something to be happy about.

Halt's thoughts were interrupted as the door to the room opened and in stepped four guards in full armor with swords at their hips. One of them strode towards Halt while the others waited by the door.

"Get up," he said roughly and Halt frowned. "Now," the guard growled.

Halt moved stiffly with the gash across his body but he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Underneath the bandage, he felt the thin scab break in places and felt some blood fall beneath the wrap but he paid it no heed. His leg ached terribly and his arm was still painful to move. As he stood up, Halt's throbbing head spun and he had to grab onto the guard to keep himself up. When the spinning stopped, Halt straightened. The small group made their way out of the infirmary and started off in the direction of the King's Study.

A few minutes later they arrived at the doors leading into the room. The guard in the front of the formation exchanged a few words with the guards in front of the doors. After a moment, they knocked on the door to the room and heard a muffled reply. The lead opened the door and stepped aside as Halt walked in. Behind him the door closed and the guard followed him.

Inside, Duncan sat in the chair as he had the first time he had ordered Halt to be brought to him. It was obvious Duncan wasn't happy as he motioned for Halt to take a seat then looked at the guard.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to speak to Halt in private," Duncan said. The guard looked at him uncertainly but obliged. When the door swung closed, Duncan looked at Halt sternly. "What the hell do you think you were doing?" It was obvious Duncan was trying to hold back his anger. At the moment his voice was a restrained shout.

"I was stopping something," Halt said. His bandage was turning red again and Duncan felt a twinge of guilt for yelling at the man but the feeling faded.

"Stop with these answers! I was fine with it in the trial and I was fine with it when I asked you after the incident but it stops now. I want some real answers already!" he said angrily.

"I agree. You need answers but I can't provide them all. They aren't mine to offer. I will tell you that last night I broke out of the room to stop Gilan from killing Feller," Halt said calmly. It was uncomfortable sitting in the chair as it caused his wound to bend somewhat and his leg and arm were contributing to his soreness but he ignored it.

"So you break out of the room to stop Gilan from killing Feller so you could kill him yourself?" Duncan asked in an agitated and a bit confused voice. The anger was leaving for the moment now that he was getting some answer from Halt.

"No. I went to stop Gilan. I went to leave as soon as I got him to go but Feller started talking. He crossed a line and I snapped," Halt explained and shifted in the seat. His vision was a bit fuzzy and he was light headed. From the knock on the head he had received or from his loss of blood, he didn't know.

"Halt," Duncan said then stopped, unsure of what to say. "You do know what this means right?"

"Yes. I knew it when I grabbed the knife and I knew it when I was killing him," Halt answered. His face was a mask and Duncan gave a sigh.

"You had a chance Halt. I've known you to keep your temper before. Why snap this time?" Duncan asked. He figured there was something that Halt wasn't telling him that could possibly save him and it annoyed him.

"He crossed a certain line, Your Majesty. I rather not repeat what he said but I can tell you that I warned him. He asked for it when he went on and I kept my promise. And I'd do it again," Halt replied then took a deep breath. He didn't think he'd stay conscious long enough to get back to the room and he needed to know something. "Where's Crowley?"

"He's in Candell, Halt. I think he's gone to somehow help you but he isn't back yet. And he doesn't have a lot of time either. Your execution will be tomorrow at noon. The market is going on and we already have a stage set up for a hanging," Duncan said in a miserable tone.

Halt gave a small nod. Only now did it occur to him how little time he had left. Of life and of consciousness. His vision was going black.

"I'll arrange it so you may speak to those who want to say good-bye Halt." It was the last thing he heard before he slipped into unconsciousness again.

**READ PLEASE: Okay so yes, Halt was beaten (if that's what you want to call it) easily but this is why: Halt didn't expect to be slashed across the front and he was basically showing himself as defenseless so yea...he's gotten beaten quite a bit here hasn't he?**

**Please review**


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**Okayz, so you gonna hate me after this chapter but not for the reason you think! Ha! Well I have a favor to ask of all you peeps out there. Could you check out my fic Ruined Relation? It's an idea and I'm unsure whether to continue with it or not soo...yea. Onto the story!**

Nick looked up from his breakfast as he heard hoof beats from outside. Nobody ever came to see him from the castle and there was no reason for anybody else to see him. Crowley had left late the previous night so there was no reason for him to come. Striker didn't give any sign of recognition so Nick knew it wasn't a Ranger horse and therefore not a Ranger. Grabbing his saxe knife, Nick stood and made his way to the door. He stood to one side so when the door opened he would be able to attack if need be. A few moments later he heard several pairs of boots on the verandah and then a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" he called. There was a feeling of dread in his gut and if he'd learned anything as a Ranger; it was to trust your gut.

"Open up," was the gruff reply. Nick readied himself to fight and raised the saxe knife so it was held at the ready.

When Nick didn't open the door, he heard movement outside. There was a brief pause before the door came crashing back on its hinges and in walked five men in black clothing. Everything they wore was black, right down to their boots. As they entered, Nick jumped at them and tried to attack. His plan was foiled as he went towards one man and another kicked his legs out from underneath him. Standing up, Nick backed up against the wall as they formed a half circle around him. One, obviously the leader of the small group, stepped towards the Ranger. He had short blond hair that looked like hay while his eyes were a startling green. Nick was easily a head shorter than him and they were matched in strength by the looks of it.

"Where is your Ranger friend?" he asked quietly. Still with the saxe knife ready in hand, Nick brought his gaze up to look at the man. Perhaps it was the look of contempt in the man's eyes that caused Nick to instantly hate him.

"He left. Last night," Nick answered defiantly. There was no harm in telling that much. Nick eyed the knives that were at the man's waist. Something told him that there were more like them on his person. Though he had the urge to fight, he waited to see if there was a way to get out of the situation without violence.

"Grab him," the man snarled. Nick saw movement to his sides and tried to avoid the two sets of hands that reached out for him but he was surrounded and they easily grabbed him. Struggling did no good as they held him steady with muscled arms. One of the men on his right ripped the knife out of his hand while another took his throwing knife away. "Now. Let me ask you again. Where is your Ranger friend?"

"I don't know. He left. I really can't follow him everywhere," Nick answered. His face was a mask as the man slapped him across the face. Nick didn't know who they were or what they wanted but he knew that it would be a mistake to give them the information they wanted.

"Well perhaps if you were properly motivated." With that, the man unsheathed one of his knives and held it to Nick's throat. "What was he doing here?"

"I don't know," Nick lied and felt pressure on the knife. He considered his options. There were two men holding him then there were two standing ready if he got free. His back was to a wall and he was weaponless. It didn't look to promising but it was worth a shot.

Nick twisted violently all the sudden and the men, caught off guard, lost their grip on him. He felt the knife make a shallow cut on his neck but ignored it. The Ranger swung a fist at the man that had held him on the left and it landed on the side of his head. The man was only angered and tried to retaliate but Nick was quick and he ducked before he was hit. Nick straightened and was grabbed by the other man that had held him. He was thrown down to the floor as the group of five, minus their leader, surrounded him. He kicked out with his feet and managed to trip up one of the men who in turn, grabbed onto another guy to support himself and sent them both crashing to the floor. Nick scrambled to his feet and engaged with the other two who now held their knives.

Blake, the leader of the group, watched as his four partners fought with the Ranger. His anger was growing and he clutched the knife in his hand. When two of his comrades collapsed onto the floor, he decided to take a hand. Walking past the two that lay on the ground bickering, Blake approached behind the Ranger while he was distracted with the two others. Quickly, he drove the knife into Nick's back and ripped it out. Nick let out a gasp and collapsed to his knees and stayed, breathing deeply. Blake walked around so he was facing the Ranger and grabbed Nick's chin. Tilting it so it was looking up at him, Blake gave a small smile.

"Care to tell us now? You have nothing to lose," he said softly. Nick's eyes grew hard.

"I have plenty to lose by telling you," he managed to spit out.

Blake looked at him with disgust before driving his knife into Nick's chest. Releasing the Ranger's head, Blake kicked the dead body, sending it sprawling on the floor.

"We needed him Blake," snarled one of the men that had held Nick.

"He thought he'd play hero, he wasn't going to tell us anything," Blake replied as he wiped his blade on a corner of Nick's shirt.

* * *

The light rain splattered against Crowley as he urged Abelard on. He'd been riding for a full day, nonstop, and he was about ready to fall from the saddle. Despite his weariness, there was an underlying excitement. He was perhaps the only one who knew what was going on fully and therefore the only one to be able to stop it. As darkness began to seep over the sky, Crowley knew he'd have to take a rest. Not only for him but for the horses as well. Finding a small glade, Crowley didn't bother setting up his tent. He'd estimated he still had a little less than half a day's riding and couldn't afford a long break if he wanted to save Halt. That was, if he wasn't already dead but, for some odd reason Crowley knew he wasn't dead. It was one of those feelings that one gets when somebody close to them is in trouble. And right now, he knew Halt wasn't dead. With that thought, Crowley drifted off to sleep.

The commandant woke with a start. The sun was just starting to rise in the sky and he felt panic rising in his chest. Instead of only sleeping for the hour he had deemed reasonable, his tired body had slept the whole night. With a half day of riding still left, he wouldn't get back to Castle Araluen until around noon. And that was at the fast march pace he had set for the horses. Crowley berated himself quietly as he called the Abelard and Cropper. Deciding to ride Abelard first as he had rode Cropper for most the day yesterday during his escape, Crowley tightened the girth straps. He grabbed a few pieces of jerky from the pack as well to settle his growling stomach. Before he mounted Abelard, the horse looked at him and Crowley could see he was worried. Even though he wasn't Abelard's owner, he was as close to the horse as anybody besides Halt could be. And he knew what the worry was for. Abelard knew something bad was going on and that Halt was in the middle of it.

"It's okay. He'll be fine," Crowley said quietly to the horse and perhaps to himself.

**Yes, yes you hate me and I'm cruel:) Please review:):):):):) And be critical!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

Halt's eyes drifted open leisurely. He noticed that he was in a different room than the one he had become accustomed to. This one had windows to his right that looked out over the courtyard. The bed seemed to be more comfortable and the room seemed nicer. Next to the bed were a chair and a table. As his eyes adjusted to the bright morning light being let in through the window, Halt realized that his chest wasn't hurting as much and his headache was gone. He looked down at his chest and saw that a new linen bandage was wrapped around him and it was clean except for a few spots where there was dried blood. Feeling stiff, Halt maneuvered so he was sitting upright with his back on the pillows. The room was quiet and Halt took the time to think over what was happening.

He remembered talking to Duncan about stabbing Feller and he realized that this was the last morning he was going to see. Before he had blacked out, Duncan had said how Crowley had gone to Candell to possibly help him and how it was quite possible that the commandant wasn't going to get back before the execution. Halt was a little let down by that, he had at least wanted to talk to Crowley before it happened. Looking out the window, Halt estimated it was about two hours before noon.

Minutes seeming like hours dragged on until the door to the room opened and the healer that had changed his bandage came in. Halt watched as the man set his bag on the table and then came to inspect the wound. Halt stayed silent as he removed the linen and studied the skin beneath it.

"Well it looks like the bleeding has finally stopped," he said. Then the healer looked at the wound on Halt's calf from the first fight with Feller. It still had a bandage on it but it had stopped bleeding a while ago. It was the same with his arm though on his arm there was a layer of skin missing and a nasty scab. "How's your head feeling?" the man asked professionally. "Are you dizzy? Is it pounding? Do you feel like you don't remember anything?"

"No," Halt answered simply.

"Good. I was starting to believe you had a concussion. You slept the entire day yesterday," he said and turned back to his bag and grabbed a bandage to put on Halt's chest. "This is just a precaution for if the bleeding starts again," he said as he finished his task. "The wound in your calf is looking fine but I don't suggest putting an excessive amount of weight on it and don't move too much or your chest might reopen," he babbled as he replaced his supplies in his bag. When he was done, he looked back at Halt and gave a grim smile. "Not that you're going to have to worry about any of that." He walked towards the door and closed it behind him.

More minutes past and Halt began to feel stiff again. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, wincing slightly as his torso twisted. He made his way over to the tall windows and looked out over the magnificent courtyard. It wasn't long before the door opened and Gilan and Will walked in. He turned to face them. They stopped when they saw Halt's condition. Neither of them was used to seeing Halt so beat up. Gilan was the first to make a move and approach Halt. Will stood beside him and they simply looked at him.

"I'm sorry Halt," Gilan muttered and two pairs of eyes swung onto him. "If I hadn't been foolish then you wouldn't be dying today," he said quietly.

"Feller was going to die anyways; it isn't your fault Gilan. I had the chance to walk out but I didn't. I let my anger get the best of me and I stabbed him," Halt said flatly. Gilan looked up at him and shook his head.

"You wouldn't have even been in that room if I wasn't there," he said. Halt went to reply but Will stopped him.

"Do you really have to talk about this now?" Will asked a bit annoyed. "Halt's going to die in an hour and you two are worried about whose fault it is?" Gilan looked at his hands. "That's what I thought," Will added as they lapsed into silence.

"I need to ask a favor," Halt said after a moment. Both his apprentices looked at him expectantly. "When Crowley gets back, tell him what happened. Tell him that Feller told me about the whip and I snapped," Halt said.

"What whip?" Will asked.

"Crowley will understand and it's up to him to tell you if he wishes," Halt answered and Will settled for that answer. "There's something else," Halt said and took a deep breath. "Neither of you can spend time grieving. There are things to be done in Araluen and you can't waste your time," he said sternly.

"So not only can we not help you but we're not allowed to feel bad?" Gilan asked in a tense voice. "No Halt. You're the reason we are who we are. I don't know about Will, but I'm not agreeing to that." Will nodded his agreement.

"I mean it. There's too much going on in your fiefs. If you stop to mourn then who knows what will happen? It's your job and you can't let a death mess it up," Halt answered strictly.

Will went to argue but before he could say anything, the door slapped back on its hinges and two guards appeared in the doorway.

"Time's up," one said. Will felt his heart sink, he had forgotten about their time limit and he had wanted to say so much.

"Halt," Will started and the grizzled man looked at him and Will had the feeling that Halt had known all he was going to say. "I…thanks. For all you've done," he said quietly and Halt gave small smile. Will felt tears come to his eyes but he forced them not to fall. Before Halt could see his misery, he started towards the door but Gilan stayed where he was.

"Come on," snarled the other guard.

"One minute," Gilan responded and fumbled around in his pocket for something.

"Now," the guard said and started towards the Ranger. Gilan ripped something out of his pocket and went to hand it to Halt but the guard grabbed him by the arm.

"Wait," he growled but the man didn't listen and started dragging Gilan away. The Ranger struggled but couldn't get out of the grip. Halt took a step towards Gilan but a look from the guard told him not to move anymore.

"I got this from Duncan. He said that you earned it and should keep it," Gilan said as he tossed the item towards Halt. Halt caught it and watched as Gilan was dragged out of the room. The door shut with a slam and Halt looked down at what Gilan had thrown him. Suddenly the day got the tinniest bit better. In his palm was his oakleaf necklace.

**Yes, that was sorta a pointless chapter but it needed to be put in there. And yes, Will and Gilan were under-reacting. Please review.**


	34. Chapter 34

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

Halt slipped the necklace over his head and smiled. At least now when he died he'd have the peace of being a Ranger. He was lost in his thoughts and almost missed it as the door to the room opened again. Looking to see who it was, Halt felt what little smile he had fade. Pauline was standing in the doorway with puffy eyes as if she had been crying. Halt watched as she walked towards him with a fast pace and envelope him in a hug. Ignoring the pain he felt as the cut across his chest was agitated, Halt hugged her back and felt her begin to sob into his shoulder.

"It's okay," he said softly and was surprised when she shoved him away from her. He stumbled backwards and tripped, landing on the floor. The sudden jolt made him wince as his chest twisted.

"How is it okay Halt?" she yelled. Her eyes were red and Halt got back onto his feet. Albeit a bit painfully. "In a little over an hour you're going to die! Tell me how that's okay Halt," she sobbed. As Halt stood speechless, she sat down on the edge of the bed and took deep breaths to calm herself down. Ever since she had heard the news of Halt, it had been a wild ride. First she thought he was doomed but wouldn't accept it then Gilan came and gave people hope that was dashed quickly by Halt himself. Now there seemed like there was nothing else to do but accept it and she couldn't bring herself to do that. "I'm sorry," she said softly as she saw Halt's chest bandaged up. His arm lacked any medical binding, showing where he had been sliced by Feller's sword. His tattered pants covered up where his calf had been stabbed. "Halt," she said breathlessly as she saw blood seeping onto the linen on his chest.

"It's nothing," he said quietly and walked over to the bed as well. Sitting next to her, he looked down at his hands. "You're right. It's not okay," he added. "I don't…I don't want to die." Pauline looked at him sadly.

"I don't think anybody would want to die," she said softly. "And I know nobody wants to watch you die." Halt took a deep breath and looked out the window. He wanted to tell Pauline all that had happened but he couldn't. He was sick of lying but he still stood by Crowley and respected that he didn't want anybody to know about his past. Halt couldn't bring himself to betray the trust Crowley had given him when he told about Feller.

Halt tilted his head to look at the ceiling. "I don't regret it but I do," he said. Pauline looked at him, confused. Halt caught a glimpse of her confusion in his peripheral vision. "I'd stab him again without a doubt but at the same time, I wouldn't want to," he explained, thinking about how he had crossed the line with killing his best friend's father. He didn't know how Crowley was going to react and he wanted to be the one to tell him what had happened. But now it seemed apparent that that wasn't going to happen. Pauline was still confused but hid it. "I need to ask a favor," Halt said as he looked at her seriously.

"Anything Halt."

"Promise me you won't waste time over me. It'd make this easier if you'd promise me that you won't stop your life because of this," he said softly. He saw the argument in Pauline before she said anything. "I mean it." Pauline stayed silent though he knew that she'd try her best as she saw the reason in it. The two lapsed into an odd yet comforting silence. It didn't take long for the door to open again and the guard to come through.

"Time to leave," he said sternly. Pauline stood and so did Halt. They looked at each other for a moment before Pauline wrapped Halt up in a hug that he returned. There wasn't much to say as the two knew each other well enough to know what the other would have said.

"Don't be mad at Crowley," he said quietly as he broke the contact. Pauline frowned and looked at him in wonder but the guard made an impatient gesture and she was forced to leave. "You'll understand later," he answered quickly before she left. "Bye," he whispered as Pauline left the room.

Arald and Rodney came in next but Halt was too distracted to really talk to them. He was still thinking about Crowley. He had every confidence that Will and Gilan would deliver his message but he knew that there'd be more questions than answers and he'd be the only one with the answers. He also knew that Crowley would tell them about how he had stabbed Feller and started the mess. Though whether or not Crowley would tell of his past, Halt didn't know. When the baron and battle master left, yet another guard appeared through the doorway.

"Get moving," he said darkly and followed Halt out of the room.

Out in the corridor there were three guards and they formed up in the usual formation to surround Halt with the man that had retrieved him in front. Before they started down the hall though, one of the men cuffed Halt's thumbs and ankles together so he could walk but not make a quick getaway. They made their way through the corridors and Halt realized that he had been in Duncan's private infirmary room, undoubtedly because the king had been worried for him. In a few minutes they were outside and walking towards the stables. His lead guard led them towards another group and Halt realized that the other man was on the way to his death as well. He was the hanging Duncan had mentioned. The two lead guards mounted their horses while the rest of the men surrounded Halt and the other prisoner closely. As they made their way towards the drawbridge, people stopped in their business to watch. Most people were already at the market ready for the show but, there were those who didn't wish to see it.

The small party made their way to the market and Halt stole a glance at the sun. It looked to be half an hour before noon and the sky was a brilliant blue lacking clouds. He gave a small huff, the weather didn't seem to realize what was about to happen. People cleared out of the road as they saw the group coming and in a short while they were in the center of the village. It was crowded to say the least as they went around the edge of the crowd. Merchants were selling their wares and there was a good amount of cheer. Halt spotted Gilan, Pauline, Will, Rodney, David and Arald a bit apart from the crowd, sitting at a table set up by a food cart.

The prisoners were led to a large tent behind the stage and set away from all the commotion. A few meters away was another tent that was smaller but grander. Halt supposed it was the tent for Duncan. The guards stopped and dismounted their horses. Six of them positioned themselves around the tent while two followed Halt and the other man inside. Halt looked around the empty tent. Sunlight filtered in through the white fabric. Finding nothing else to do, Halt seated himself on the grassy ground as best as he could with his restraints and simply waited.

**Poor ole'Halt:( This is really fun though because I know something y'all don't know!...Please review**


	35. Chapter 35

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**YOU ARE ALL AMAZING! EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU REVIEWERS ARE DOWNRIGHT AWESOME! I am now the fic with the most reviews if you can't tell:)**

**I would like to thank all of my reviewers: Luvergirl of Books, Horseislove, Captain Reddish, SeekerMaxia, S1lv3r3agl3, booknerdhere, JustaBunchaHOOPLA, SkittlesGal, Mychele O'Carrik of Clonmel, Tuglover98, Sh'rah, Sybell O'Carric, Flaminglake, MandySue22, 4157, BerrymoreWobbledot, bralt wannabe, With-the-Wolves, Elsforever, AwesomeDolphinGirl(ADG), Tessi, redvegetables, lederra, pixie blue, HDWren, Malcolm the Healer, Jezzmind, Trouble in the Night, Nika565, SilkBourne, Thatstoryisamazing and all of you anonymous reviewers! Sorry if I forgot anybody, I was looking through all the reviews and I might have missed one...**

The man for the hanging left first. He was escorted out of the tent by two guards from outside after about ten minutes. Halt watched him leave and took a deep breath. He knew that as soon as that man was dead and cleared from the stage, he would be the one leaving. Another guard walked into the tent and motioned for Halt to stand. He had a bit of trouble but eventually managed it. He frowned, outside he could hear the usual introduction to the hanging so the other man wasn't yet dead and it wasn't his turn. As he stepped out of the tent with the guard, they turned towards the other tent that was a few meters away. Halt stopped as the guard peered into the tent and said a few words.

"Get inside," he snarled when he had withdrawn his head. Halt began to walk forward but the guard stopped him with a hand. "Don't try anything," he growled and Halt fought back the urge to roll his eyes.

The tent was red and gold so inside the sun shining in through the fabric gave it a colorful appearance. Duncan was seated in the only chair so Halt stayed standing. The two friends were quiet for a moment before Duncan spoke. He sounded miserable and didn't look like he'd had a lot of sleep.

"I see you got your necklace back," he said as he noted the oakleaf around Halt's neck. The Ranger gave a small nod. "Halt, I don't want to do this but the law is forcing my hand. I would ignore it but there are people out there that wouldn't let that go and see it as a way to start something."

"I understand, Your Majesty," Halt responded. Outside there was a cheer and Halt felt a bit angry. He didn't see how people could be so happy about something such as an execution. It was a person's death and they were acting if it was a means for celebration. It made him sick. Duncan stood. "I'll be on the stage watching. Anthony says it's an ill-conceived idea but you deserve it my friend. And who knows, maybe a miracle will happen," Duncan said as he walked towards the exit flap.

"If miracles were taking any part in this then I would have gotten coffee this morning," Halt said grimly and only half joking. Duncan gave forced short laugh before leaving the tent.

* * *

Crowley crested a small rise in the land and the village lying outside Castle Araluen came into view. He was riding Cropper and Abelard was close behind. Now that the village was in view, there was no need to take time and preserve the horses' strength. Tapping Cropper's sides, Crowley sent the horse into a gallop. Abelard matched the pace and soon they were barreling towards the drawbridge, skirting the village. Crowley noted the odd lack of people but couldn't think why it would be like that. His question was answered when he reached the drawbridge and saw that only a few people were running around doing business. Stopping a small boy that was heading towards the village, Crowley leaned down from the saddle.

"Is the market today?" he asked though he had a sinking feeling it was.

"Y…yes Sir Ranger," the boy stuttered, terrified. "Everybody's gone down to see Sir Ranger Halt beheaded," he added and cowered at Crowley's sudden look of agitation. Letting the boy leave, Crowley wheeled the horses around and headed towards the town square. For some reason it felt that there was a rock settling in his gut. Never a good sign.

* * *

Halt was escorted to the right side of the makeshift stage. Duncan was standing on the back corner of the stage a meter or so away from Halt. Ahead of him were a few small steps. On the stage were two sturdy posts that held up another beam. On the beam was a rope and hanging from that rope was the dead body of the man he had been with earlier. Halt held back his anger as he saw the smiling faces of men and women and others in the crowd. They all thought it was entertaining. They didn't care that a life had just been taken. Halt watched as they cut the man free of the beam and dragged the body off the stage. When that was done, he was shoved roughly up the steps. Now that he was on the stage, he saw the block that he was to kneel at. It was basically a block of wood with a trough for his neck to rest in so his head would hang off the edge.

As he walked to the block and waited, the crowd fell silent and the smiles disappeared. Never had they seen an Araluen Ranger up on the stage ready to die. The fact that that Ranger was Halt just made it all the more momentous. Halt searched the edges of the crowd until he spotted the group of Pauline, Will, Gilan, Rodney, David and Arald. For a moment Halt caught Gilan's eyes and they looked at each other for a moment before Gilan lowered his head. Halt could have sworn he saw tears and as he looked at the others, he got the same results.

"Today we are here to witness the beheading of Ranger Halt of Redmont on the charges of brutal murder," an announcer said from Halt's right. There were two guards on either side of him. "Bryce!" the announcer called.

A tall, muscular man stepped onto the stage. He was bare-chested and you could only see his eyes and bottom half of his face through his black mask. In his hands he held an axe that was customized for beheadings. It was thinner than an axe meant for trees and it looked wickeder than one as well as the sun danced across it. The executioner, unused to the silence of the crowd, took an awkward bow. Earlier he had been ordered by Duncan himself not to put on a show like was customary. He was to get the job done with and make his exit. Nothing fantastic about it this time.

Halt was shoved to his knees and his neck was forced into the trough in the block.

"Come on Crowley," he grumbled.


	36. Chapter 36

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**Luvergirl of Books: Yes, you have a point but Halt wasn't hanged because then he couldn't do what I need him to do in this chapter. Weak excuse yes, but don't be confused! Along with that, different crimes would result in different ways of death.**

Crowley shot into the square on Cropper. The giant crowd blocked his view for a moment but he stood on the stirrups and spotted the events. The man named Bryce was stepping onto the stage and Crowley realized he only had a few seconds. Looking around the mob, he didn't spot the person he was looking for. Panicking a little, he stood taller in the stirrups and saw Bryce raising the axe. He was about to call out when a movement at the far reaches of his vision caught his attention. In barely a second his gaze was sweeping over that section of the crowd and he felt his gut twist farther into a knot. A man dressed in simple farm clothes stood at the far edge of the left side of the crowd. He was raising a bow with an arrow knocked and it was pointed directly towards Duncan's heart. There wasn't time to reach him and, with so many people between them, Crowley couldn't risk shooting and hitting an innocent person. Drawing breath, he did the only thing he could think of.

* * *

Halt searched the crowd for his friend but saw no sign of him. Realizing it was all over; he took a deep breath but didn't close his eyes. He sensed the axe being raised above his head but didn't flinch; He merely held his calm expression.

"Halt!" Halt's head snapped up at the familiar tone of Crowley's voice. Not wasting any time, Halt rolled out of the path of the axe's course. The weapon thudded into the wooden block only a few inches from his head and he heard commotion starting. Ignoring it all, Halt searched for his friend and found him almost immediately. The commandant was pointing towards a man on the far left side of the crowd. Halt's gaze snapped onto him as he saw the bow raised and pointed towards Duncan.

Realizing what was going on, Halt got into a crouch and judged time and distance with an expert eye. In less than a second, he lunged towards the king and felt a brief flaring pain in his chest. The entire event took less than a few seconds and left everybody in a confused state as they watched his body land with a thud onto the wooden planks of the stage by Duncan's feet.

* * *

"Crowley, I want answers," Duncan demanded. They were in his study and Duncan was pacing while Crowley sat with his head in his hands. Duncan had just witnessed Halt fall to his feet with an arrow sticking out of him and blood starting to pool without any warning and then watched as Crowley shoved to the front of the crowd out of nowhere. Duncan had ordered the knights to get Halt back up to the castle as fast as possible and keep him in the royal infirmary until the mess was sorted out. The healers had admitted that they didn't know if Halt was going to make it and the next twenty-four hours would be the most crucial. They hadn't heard anything else.

"I know you do," Crowley said miserably. "But can they wait?" he asked as he raised his head. Nobody had told him of recent events in the castle so he believed he was responsible for not only Feller's death but now possibly Halt's.

"Crowley, he's probably still knocked out. He was shot with an arrow then slammed his head on the stage. Not to mention everything else he's been through. You have time to explain to me what just happened. He won't be waking up for a while," Duncan said with a strained patience. He knew that Crowley was going through a lot with Halt and so was he but he needed answers. He had just been shot at for crying out loud!

"I…he…I don't know where to start!" Crowley snapped as he raised his head. He was shaking slightly and couldn't think straight. The only thought that pulsed across his mind was that Halt was almost dead. "Sorry," he mumbled when he remembered Duncan was the king.

"It's fine," Duncan said as he took a seat across from the commandant. The torches set in the wall illuminated Crowley's distraught features. "Just start at the beginning. Tell me what happened at the cabin."

"It started long before that," Crowley said quietly and Duncan looked at him, confused. "Feller is…was…he was a…strong influence in my young life," he said, not going into specifics. "I ran from my home when I was apprenticed to Pritchard and as soon as I could, I got as far away as possible. When Feller came here, he rode into my clearing, perhaps just by chance. There…there was a small incident there and I asked Halt to switch places with me until Feller left. He arrived and I was going to leave the next day but Feller attacked us, out of a need for revenge or closure. He was fighting with Halt and Halt, he just wasn't in a good position. I…I was the one who stabbed him at the cabin. Halt, he just shoved me aside and grabbed the knife. I didn't want him to, I tried to get him to tell the truth but he wouldn't hear it," Crowley stammered. "Now he's almost dead!" Crowley said angrily and slammed his fist on the chair's arm. Standing up, the commandant began to pace to calm down.

"What's this got to do with the events that just occurred?" Duncan asked to try and distract the angry commandant.

"I went to Candell to prove that Feller would have attacked out of a need. No, I couldn't get anything to prove we had our differences in the past but I found papers showing he was acquainted with Morgarath," Crowley said and pulled out the pouch out of his pocket and tossed it to Duncan. "There were rumors before the war that Feller was an assassin with Morgarath so I took a shot in the dark. I found these letters between the two and then some other papers with names on them. Feller is continuing Morgarath's work and he came here to deal with you. There's an entire assassin operation going on in Candell," he said.

Duncan opened the pouch and pulled out a random page. It was a letter and he skimmed it over, he'd look over it more thoroughly later. Crowley was still pacing, his thoughts running at a million miles a minute. Duncan set the papers down on his desk.

"If Feller was an assassin for Morgarath and he really was carrying on the work, then something needs to be done. Though not right this minute as we need to know more. And if Feller did attack you at the cabin and the kidnapping was all a rouse, which I believe fully, then your actions at the cabin can be justified. Though I don't think it'd be enough to excuse Halt's actions of late," Duncan said. Crowley stopped pacing and went to ask the obvious question. "I don't think I should explain as I'm not certain on the subject myself," he said. Crowley frowned but accepted it. "Now what happened at the execution?"

"Feller sent two men to finish you I think and then he came to make sure they would follow through. I only saw one of them when he pulled the arrow but the other would have been close by. In the confusion I fear they may have escaped but Will and Gilan took off after they saw the arrow in Halt. I think they saw the man who shot it," Crowley explained. "Now…now Halt's going to die because of me," he said in a suffering tone as he collapsed back into the chair.

"It won't do any good to think like that," said Duncan in a somewhat confident voice but Crowley heard the underlying misery. "You couldn't have predicted this would happen. You did what you could and that was that. Halt was moments away from getting his head chopped off, you may have just saved him. Now go," he added. "Tell me if he wakes up."

"And if he doesn't?" Crowley asked as he stood. Duncan sighed.

"Tell me," he said and Crowley exited the room.

**Please review, DON'T KILL ME THOUGH BECAUSE I DID TAKE SOME MERCY ON HALT! I MEAN, YEA, HE MIGHT DIE NOW BUT HE STILL HAS A HEAD AND HE SAVED DUNCAN! YAY!**


	37. Chapter 37

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**Bralt wannabe: Hanging was a very common way of execution but so were beheadings. A lot of times you hear of hanging and all that and it may be traditional but it wasn't the only way, we did a whole thing in Social Studies about a mess of medieval punishments and forms of executions. And I've just learned, thanks to two reviewers, that the way you were executed also depended on your rank and status in society. And, as SeekerMaxia pointed out, King Duncan would have wanted the execution to be over as fast as possible and hangings where something might go wrong or something and Halt could be hanging with a rope around his neck that didn't break it and just have to wait until he suffocated. In fact, I did the hanging a bit wrong. In medieval times each town would have a permanent gibbet that they hung the accused. And the accused got to the hanging by ways of a wagon. And then they would leave the corpse hanging there until it crumbled apart**

Crowley stared at the door that led to Halt's infirmary room. He had been moved from the royal infirmary and back to the king's private room so he was closer to the expert help. The commandant didn't know what to expect behind the door. He was sure Pauline, Gilan and Will were in there, he doubted they'd leave his side until he either died or lived. And he knew that Rodney and Arald would have been beside them if they hadn't had to go back to Redmont and resume their duties. He stared at the door a while longer and before he could enter, a healer exited. Crowley stepped out of his way but held up a hand to stop him. Without his cowl to cover up his features, Crowley's worry was clear.

"What's the news?" he asked. The healer's expression was grim and he held quite a few red bandages.

"The arrow hit his breastbone. We're unsure as to whether or not it's broken but the real worry is to get it to stop bleeding. The cut across the front of his chest was ripped back open and I only just got that to stop. As for his head, he's gotten hit quite a bit in the past few days and I think he has a concussion after all that. He may not wake up for a few days and then it might be too late. Even if he does wake up before that, chances are he's just going to go back under," he answered gravely. Crowley took a deep breath and nodded.

"Thank you," he said. The healer gave a short nod in return then hurried off to get more bandages.

Clasping the cold door handle, Crowley closed his eyes and forced himself to relax.

"He'll be fine," he whispered to himself before opening the door. Just as he suspected, Pauline, Gilan and Will were seated on some chairs around Halt's bed. Pauline looked like she was about to lose it and her eyes were puffy. Will and Gilan looked to have tear stains on their cheeks but they had a certain anger in their eyes. All eyes swung towards him. "Hullo," he said softly. Gilan and Will stood and walked over to him. "What happened with the shooter?" Crowley asked in a whisper though there was no point in it.

"He got away," Gilan said angrily. "The damn bastard escaped when everybody was trying to get a better view of the stage where Halt was lying. He was dressed as a farmer and blended in well. Add that to the fact we didn't really get a clear view of him and you got a problem when chasing him," he added. Crowley frowned, agitated and ran a hand through his hair.

"Halt told me to tell you that Feller told him about the whip and he snapped. That's why he killed Feller," Will said after a pause. Crowley's frown deepened.

"What?" he asked in a bit of shock as he looked from one face to another.

"He said you'd understand what it meant," Will said with his own frown.

"I know what he means, I think. What's this about him killing Feller though?" Crowley asked a bit numbly.

"Duncan didn't tell you?" Gilan asked and Crowley shook his head. "The night after the trial, I snuck into Feller's room to kill him and keep Halt alive. Halt met me there and made me go back. Apparently something happened between Feller and him and he just snapped. Stabbed him right through the heart. Then when Matthew came yelling for the guards, he got slashed across the chest and slammed in the head with a knife hilt," Gilan explained. Crowley's eyes opened slightly and he couldn't talk for a moment.

"He…he stabbed him?" Gilan nodded and Crowley felt millions of thoughts and questions come to mind. The most prominent was that he didn't kill his own father, his brother had. "So how is he now?" Crowley asked timidly. He would tell them his story later. Will turned away, a tear rolling down his face. He joined Pauline back by Halt's bedside.

"He hasn't woken up yet. They got the slash to stop bleeding but nothing else," Gilan said and his voice cracked. Crowley just gave a small nod. Still trying to think through the information he had been given about Feller, he took the seat Gilan offered him. "I'm going to go talk to Duncan. We need to sort this mess out," he said lamely. Crowley looked at him and gave a small nod; Gilan just didn't want to be around so much sadness at the moment. Will stood and followed the other Ranger out the door somberly.

"Why did he kill Feller?" Crowley asked quietly to himself as he looked at Halt. Halt's face was pale and he looked downright awful. Pauline looked at Crowley.

"He didn't say. He only told Gilan and Will that he found out about the whip. Other than that, he wouldn't say what went on," she said in an upset voice. Crowley looked up; he hadn't expected her to answer him. "He wouldn't tell anybody why he kidnapped Feller or why he stabbed him at the cabin either."

"What?" Crowley asked, confused. "When did he kidnap Feller?"

"The night he stabbed him at the cabin, Crowley. He said you were there," she answered as if it were obvious. Crowley understood all the sudden, it was the story Halt had told everybody.

"That's….that's not what happened," he said slowly and looked down at his hands. "It was a story he made up," he added. "What happened was Feller attacked us in the clearing. I don't know why he would say anything about kidnapping Feller but he must've had a reason. Anyways, Feller's men came at us first. Halt dealt with the first two and I went to finish a third. I finished my man and when I turned back, Feller was behind Halt, he'd snuck up on him with the loud fire in the background. I warned Halt but he got this." Crowley motioned towards the large wound on Halt's arm. "Feller stabbed him in the calf and Halt fell down. Before Feller could run the sword through Halt's body, I tackled him. After that…I don't remember it clearly. All I remember after tackling him is seeing my knife go into Feller and him falling to the ground. Halt shoved me aside and grabbed the knife. He told me to run and I guess I just panicked. I tried to convince him to tell the truth but he wouldn't listen," Crowley said dejectedly.

Pauline fell silent. The news was a shock to her, knowing that everything Halt had said was true wasn't. He hadn't even stabbed Feller in the beginning.

"I'm sorry. I really am Pauline. I should have told Duncan no matter what Halt said. Because I didn't, I've caused more than one person to suffer, Halt's almost dead and almost nobody knows what's going on. It's my fault," Crowley said quietly and ran a hand over his face as if he were frustrated. He found it odd that his hand was damp when he stopped the motion.

Pauline didn't have anything to say to that either. She was still trying to swallow the idea that Halt was innocent to a certain degree and Crowley was the one who started the mess. She was looking at Halt worriedly. Crowley lowered his head again. Like Pauline, he was in a bit of shock. Halt had apparently killed his father because Feller had told him of the whip. The whip was something he was hoping to keep from Halt. Crowley didn't have any good feelings towards Feller but they were family. Though neither of them would want to be and hearing that Halt had killed him seemed to annoy him.

"I'm sure Halt had his part in doing this. It can't all be your fault," Pauline said softly as she brushed a strand of hair out of Halt's face, Crowley shook his head.

"I brought him into this. I didn't have to call him to Castle Araluen to switch. I could have told Duncan the truth more than once but I didn't," he answered.

"It never does any good to blame yourself," she said as she stood up. "I think I'm going to go back to my rooms. It's been a long day," she added even though it was only a few hours after noon. She wanted to stay with Halt for if he awoke but something told her that he and Crowley would best be left alone if that happened. Besides that, it was clear that Crowley needed time to himself and he wasn't going to leave Halt's side. In his mind he'd left Halt enough times in the past few days.

"I'll tell you if anything happens," Crowley said despondently and looked back to the ashen faced Halt.

**Please review, next chapter will be a bit more interesting**


	38. Chapter 38

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**Sorry for the wait, I was stuck for a while on this and I'm still not sure it's good...**

**Anyways, I just realized that I've passed the 50000 word mark! And that's without Author's Notes! Yay! Anyways, onto the chapter!**

He was in a haze and he heard far off voices. It was as if he were listening from somebody else's body besides his own. As if he was somebody else trapped inside his own body. He was numb and couldn't feel anything, like he had simply shut down the part of his brain that felt pain or anything else. There was more indistinct talking. He tried to open his eyes but they were heavy and it took a lot of work. The voices stopped and he tried to say something but that too took a lot of effort. He didn't even bother to try and move. Gathering what little remained of his strength, Halt forced his eyelids open.

The room was dark but he recognized it as the one he had been in before the execution. The moonlight filtered in through the windows and cast an eerie glow. His breathing was ragged and his vision was a bit fuzzy not to mention he felt sick and a bit off. He still felt he were separate from his own body. Somebody was pacing in front of the windows, a habit that annoyed him greatly.

"Stop," he tried to say but it came out as a low moan. Whoever had been pacing stopped and hurried to his side.

"Halt?" the man said. Halt recognized the voice and looked up to see the man's face. It was Crowley. He had a large slash under his eye and Halt frowned.

"Crowley," he said. His voice was weak, rough and almost indistinct but understandable if one was really listening. It took a moment for Halt to remember who Crowley was. Along with the commandant's identity came the memory of stabbing Feller. He had to tell Crowley but he wasn't completely lucid and his brain was moving slowly.

"Halt!" Crowley said in a relieved tone. "Halt, are you okay? Come on, wake up," he said. Halt frowned; he was awake. At least in a sense he was. Nothing seemed wrong to him; he didn't feel like he was hurt and he didn't recall anything bad happening at the execution. He had just avoided the axe blow and the rest was darkness. As he tried to remember what happened, his head began to throb.

"W…wha's happenin'?" he asked, his words were slurred and his vision had black spots. He was feeling dizzy as well and felt incredibly weak. Halt thought for a moment, there was something he had to tell Crowley. Something important but his sluggish mind took a while to realize that it was about Feller and stabbing.

"Halt, you were hit by the arrow. Come on, don't go back to sleep. You'll be fine," Crowley said hurriedly. Halt didn't respond immediately and Crowley saw his eyes drifting closed. "No. Halt, come on, wake up."

"I…I stabbed Feller," Halt tried to say but he was too weak and it came out as an indistinguishable murmur. With that, his eyelids slid closed again and he lay still.

Crowley cursed and stood up straight. Running a hand through his hair, the commandant kicked a nearby chair angrily. It spun into the wall and shattered. He cursed again and started pacing. He was the reason this was happening. That was the only thing he could think of and his grief was slowly dissolving into anger. Hot tears rolled down his face as he looked back to Halt. His chest was red with useless bandages on it and his breathing was shallow. Crowley stormed out of the room irritably; he needed fresh air or something to get him away from the sight of Halt and to calm down. As he was leaving the room, his cowl flipped up to hide his distraught face, he ran into a pair of healers. They had bandages in their hands but they didn't seem to look like the other healers with caring features. Ignoring it and wrapped up in his self-anger, Crowley shoved past them and headed down the corridor, away from the room. He was rounding a turn in the hallway when he ran into Pauline. She looked much like she had for the past few days with slightly puffy eyes and a miserable expression.

"Sorry," Crowley mumbled as he helped her off the floor. Pauline stood and there was an awkward silence.

"How is he?" she asked. It took Crowley a moment to realize she was talking about Halt.

"I honestly don't know if he's going to make it. He woke up a few seconds ago but slipped right back under. He may have a concussion but the blood loss is what's looking really bad at the moment. When I left there were two healers heading in with more bandages. When he was being examined earlier they said the arrow hit him in the breastbone and it may have saved him but he has so many other injuries," Crowley said wearily. He hadn't had a proper sleep for some time now. His anger was starting to fade somewhat and he sat down with his head resting against his knees. "It shouldn't even be him," Crowley said. "I stabbed Feller in the first place. If it weren't for me he wouldn't have had to…to stab him again." The two lapsed into a long silence. "I should…I should go back. In case he wakes up again," Crowley said as he stood up. Pauline did the same.

"I'm going with you," she said.

"Are you sure?" Crowley asked. He knew it was hard seeing Halt for him, he didn't know what it'd be like for her. She nodded and they started back towards Halt's room. Crowley paused outside the door, his hand resting on the door handle. No matter how many times he'd looked at Halt, he could never get used to the pallor of Halt's face or the weak appearance he had. Taking a deep breath, Crowley opened the door and froze. Halt's bed was empty.

He rushed towards the bed in a frenzy and froze yet again. Written on the bedclothes in Halt's bloody bandages were the words: _Come to me or he dies._

**Please review, I would like to thank TugLover98 who somewhat helped me think of this idea:) Thank you!**


	39. Chapter 39

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

"What is that?" Pauline asked softly as she looked at the bandages. Her eyes were locked on them and she was shaking slightly. Crowley ignored her and rushed to the window. Through it you could see the courtyard. He looked at the drawbridge and let out a string of curses.

"The drawbridge is open," he said distractedly. Two men on horses were rushing across the drawbridge; one seemed to have something slumped across the saddle. Crowley turned away from the window.

"There was a small party of officials from Candell that came here to see what was going on. It's gotten quite confusing. They showed up about ten minutes ago but something happened on the bridge and they couldn't close it immediately," she said, she had watched the episode from a window when she'd been walking to Halt's room. Crowley went to run out of the room but she stopped him. "What's going on? Who did this?" She motioned towards the bed where the bandages lie.

"It's Seth, or his men. They took Halt. I have to go," Crowley said quickly and shook her hand off of his arm. He rushed out of the door with Pauline following him, thoroughly confused.

By the time they were in the courtyard, the drawbridge was being raised and there was a party of four nobles leading their horses to the stable.

"Wait!" Crowley yelled as the drawbridge was being raised. It was to no avail and the Ranger watched helplessly as it was closed. He ran to one of the guards that was speaking to the small group. "Are you the captain of the guard?" he asked. The man nodded and excused himself from the group. "Tell them to lower that bridge now," Crowley demanded. Pauline appeared beside him. "Go and tell Duncan that Halt's been kidnapped and I'm going after him," Crowley said to her. She went to say something. "Now, I'll explain later," he said. She nodded and rushed off. "Now open it back up."

"Can't do that Ranger sir," the captain said. "Orders are to keep it up no matter what," he said and started to walk away. Crowley stopped him.

"You lowered it for them!" Crowley said angrily. The longer he was arguing with this fool, the farther the assassins were getting with Halt.

"This party is made up of nobles from Candell, come to see what's happening with this mess your friend caused," the guard answered angrily. He was one of the few people that weren't intimidated by Rangers, it was one of the reasons he held the position of captain of the guard. "I will not leave these poor folk out there when they have good reason for us to lower the bridge."

"Open the bridge!" Crowley yelled. The guard shook his head.

"I told ye once, I won't do it," the guard said in a tempered voice.

"There is an innocent man that's close to death being taken away from here by Feller's men. Open the damn drawbridge this minute or you're going to find yourself with a knife at your throat," Crowley threatened in a low voice.

"Threatening me won't get you anyplace Ranger," the man replied.

"Who the hell do you think those two men were that just stormed across the bridge?" Crowley yelled. "They were the two damn assassins that tried to kill your king! Now they've taken an innocent man and are going to kill him!" Crowley raged. "Now open that damn drawbridge!"

"Those two men are none of my business. They posed no threat and therefore I will not trouble them. I am in charge here and I will not have my men lower the bridge because you think two men kidnapped somebody. The way I hear it, you're already a liar, telling everybody it was your friend that took the knife to Lord Feller. Now I bid you goodnight Ranger," he said testily and walked away. The Captain was normally a reasonable man but he had a tendency to assert his power by denying requests, as was the case now. Crowley, angry, frustrated and sleep deprived, chased after the man and grabbed a fistful of the man's chainmail below his neck.

"You're going to lower that bridge for me or I swear I'll kill you," Crowley said in a dangerous tone. He could feel eyes upon them and heard the jingle of armor as some made their way towards him. "Now you have an option. Lower the bridge or this knife goes through your throat right now." Suddenly the Ranger's saxe knife was in the Captain's vision. There was no sign of bluffing from the Ranger and his eyes were filled with anger. The Captain may not be afraid of Rangers when they weren't violent but when one was holding a knife to his throat, he tended to lose some of his fearlessness.

"Fine," he said after a brief pause. Crowley released him. The Captain turned towards the men that had gathered around them. "Lower the bridge," he commanded. None of them moved. "Now," he added forcefully and the knights hurried off to do as he said.

Crowley rushed to the stables and quickly saddled Cropper. In a few seconds he was rushing towards the bridge that was making its journey downwards. After a minute or so, the bridge was lowered and Crowley shot off across it, knowing exactly where he was headed. The assassins that had taken Halt would have gotten a fair distance away in the time he had spent arguing with the Captain but Cropper could easily make up for that. The real trouble would come when he reached forest. If the assassins had any brains, they wouldn't take the direct route to Candell, instead they would go on side tracks and game trails. That's where a Ranger's supreme tracking skills would come in to help Crowley spot the hoof prints. The only chance he would have of catching them before they got to Candell would be to follow their track.

Thunder cracked overhead and Crowley let out a string of curses. Hoping for the best, Crowley continued. But the best was not to come as a torrent of rain fell from the sky, washing away the tracks that would lead him to Halt.

**More of a filler chapter really, it'll get better I think:) Please review**


	40. Chapter 40

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters, that might be a good thing if I owned Halt he'd kill me for doing this to him**

**This chapter is pretty gruesome, just a warning but I needed you to know where Halt was and all that good stuff**

Pain surged through him from seemingly everywhere. From his head, his chest, his arms and his legs. His head felt as if somebody had taken a mallet to it and he was feeling nauseous to boot. His memory was black as if the past few days had been erased. The last thing he remembered now was killing Feller. Halt tried to push the pain away but it was near impossible. As he came to semi-consciousness he was aware of a rhythmic jolting as if he were on a horse. Forcing his eyes open, Halt saw that it really was a horse he was draped unceremoniously across. He was bound by cords that held him to the saddle so he wouldn't fall off and onto the path. He tried to get a look at his captor but his vision was blurry and he couldn't see far past his nose. A small groan escaped his mouth as the horse stumbled and his head jolted. Almost immediately there was a cracking sound and an explosion of pain dominated over the rest of the agony. To say the least, his vision went black again.

* * *

Halt felt something digging into his wrists, causing him an immense amount of pain. After a moment he realized he was hanging by his wrists and his feet were barely touching the ground. The pain was still surrounding him, in his head especially. He frowned as he felt an odd sensation on his chest. He tilted his head. His vision was still a bit foggy but he was able to see a pool of blood at his feet. For some odd reason he thought it was his blood though he couldn't remember why he'd be bleeding. Something in the corner of his eye caught his attention and he shifted his throbbing head again to see what it was.

Nick was lying on the floor a few feet away from him. There was a dried pool of blood around him and he was already beginning to decompose. Halt felt his already nauseous stomach twist and had to look away to keep from throwing up. Now he was aware of a sickening smell in the room as well that emanated from the dead Ranger. A quick inspection of the room told Halt that he was in a Ranger's cabin. Based on the fact that Nick was on the floor dead and it looked like he'd been there for a few days, Halt estimated that he was in Candell. The door was across the room from him and he realized he was dangling from the wall beside the doors to the two bedrooms. Halt's thoughts were distracted as he heard a noise outside the cabin and two men in black clothes walked in. One man, taller than the other, had short blond hair and striking green eyes. Halt spotted several daggers on his person.

"Look Blake, he's awake!" said the second man in a raspy voice. He was shorter than Blake but by no means little. He was dressed similarly to the other man only Halt saw he held a crossbow.

"I'm not blind Victor," Blake snarled as they strode towards Halt. Victor had deep blue eyes and coal black hair.

"May I do the honors?" Victor asked as he raised the crossbow that had a bolt ready to fly. At this close distance the result would be fatal. Blake angrily smacked the other man across the face.

"No!" Blake snapped. Victor looked enraged but didn't say anything. "We need him alive otherwise the other won't do as we say. I thought Matthew had explained this to you. Seth sent a messenger when we learned of Feller's fate," Blake added and Victor nodded.

"He said that we were to take this one here," Victor answered. "Never said we couldn't kill 'im." Blake shook his head.

"I honestly don't see how you've made it up this far in the ranks," Blake said then turned back to Halt with a cruel smile. "But I do think we could make him look a bit worse for ware," he said.

In all truth, it was going to be hard to make the Ranger look much worse. The wound across his chest, already agitated when they had left the castle, was perhaps infected and the assassins hadn't done much to stop the bleeding. The arrow wound in the middle of his chest was bleeding in tremendous amounts as well. At the moment though nothing was bleeding. His face was bruised almost all over and there were a few lumps where he'd hit his head. His calf and arm were looking a bit better as they'd had some time to heal before the kidnapping but they looked disgusting.

"You may do the honors in this," Blake added and looked at Victor who had a devilish smile that could rival the devil himself.

Setting his crossbow on the floor, Victor unsheathed one of his many daggers and walked close to Halt so their noses were almost touching. Halt, numb with pain, dizzy and nauseous, didn't react any. Victor took half a step back and placed the knife so it was on Halt's temple, above his right eye.

"Doesn't look like ye have a scratch on the head yet," Victor said with a merciless laugh.

He dragged the knife across Halt's forehead. Not deep enough to be traumatic or fatal but deep enough to draw blood. Halt, despite the excruciating pain, refused to show anything. Instead he retreated into a distant part of his mind where he was numb to the world. Victor looked at him angry, like not showing a reaction was a heinous crime. Without warning the man jabbed the knife into Halt's shoulder and twisted it. Halt tried to hold back the cry of pain but it was too much. Victor looked him in the eye with his heartless smile and continued to twist the knife. Halt's eyes closed tightly and he squirmed in his bindings.

"Enough!" Blake shouted angrily and Victor quickly removed the knife. Halt's eyes drifted open. "We can't kill him!" Blake raged. Victor looked at him innocently.

"I wasn't plannin' on killin' the fellow. Just teach him a lesson that bein' all tough doesn't help matters," Victor replied in his blameless voice. Halt watched the proceedings, his shoulder feeling like a fire was erupting in it. Blood was flowing down into his eyes and down his body but he couldn't pay it any heed as his eyes started drifting closed. He was weak.

"He's lost enough blood! A few scratches would have been fine!" Blake yelled. "Let's go, before the other arrives. He should be here soon," he added a bit calmer. Victor nodded and picked up his bow.

"Bastards," Halt grumbled before the darkness engulfed him. Only this time it was welcome.

**I looked up the symptoms of a concussion(which Halt most definitley has) and it was memory loss of what happened when he got the concussion which is why he couldn't remember and then other things (fuzzy vision, nausea and other things) Please review**


	41. Chapter 41

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

"What the hell is going on?" Gilan roared as he burst into the King's study. Duncan was seated behind the desk with a weary look while Will and Pauline were seated in chairs facing the desk. Gilan had just been notified that Crowley had left and the messenger had left him without answering anything.

"Halt seems to have been kidnapped, Crowley has just gone chasing after him and other than that it's complete confusion," Duncan answered tiredly. He'd been woken in about the middle of the night to be alerted of Halt's disappearance and since then he'd been awake trying to sort through everything.

Gilan just stood there; he hadn't expected an answer like that. Angrily and not thinking too clearly, he went to storm out of the room. Nobody stopped him. As he opened the door though, Sir David was on the other side. Gilan hesitated before turning back to the room and taking a seat by Will in a chair. David took a seat by Pauline.

"Now that we're all here, I think it's time we sorted through all of this before we go rampaging off," Duncan said while looking pointedly at Gilan. "Let's start at the beginning. When Feller arrived to speak to me, he ran into Crowley. Crowley then called Halt here to switch places with him," Duncan stated.

"Why?" Will asked and the others leaned forward a little expectantly.

"I don't know why. All Crowley told me on that matter was that Feller was a strong influence in his younger life. Apparently Feller has strong resentment towards him," Duncan explained. "Now, the night Halt stayed at the cabin they were attacked by Feller and his men," Duncan said.

"I thought it was said that Halt kidnapped Feller," David said. Duncan nodded.

"It was but, a recent discovery of papers may be able to prove that they were attacked. I'll get to that in a little while," Duncan answered patiently. "Now, Crowley has told me something else that may or may not come as a shock to some of you," he added, looking at the two Rangers. "I doubt you'd do this but you must promise that what we speak of in here stays a secret until this is all sorted through. You know how villagers twist what they hear. As it is, some word has been leaked to some guards." Everybody nodded their agreement. "At the cabin, Feller attempted to kill Crowley and Halt. It is believed that Halt drove his knife through the baron but that as well is false. Halt was fighting Feller but apparently he wasn't doing so well. Crowley has said that he helped Halt out and he ended up being the one to drive the knife into Feller…the first time. Halt shoved him aside and took the knife and the blame," Duncan finished and the room fell silent. Gilan and Will looked at each other, unsure of what to say. Gilan had known Halt wouldn't do something like kidnapping and stabbing the baron. Oddly enough, knowing he was right didn't please him very much.

"Why didn't they tell us?" Gilan said in a low voice.

"This is why I called you all here. It seems that we're lacking some information. I was hoping they would have explained something to you and you could contribute to our understanding."

"Halt said something about a whip," Will answered softly. Duncan looked at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Before the execution. When Gil and I were talking to him, he told us to tell Crowley he knew about the whip and that's why he killed Feller," Will explained. Duncan nodded.

"Yes, the night after the trial. It's a mystery as to what that means and most of the events that happened in there after you two left are unknown. All we know is that Halt did in fact kill Feller that night and that he stands by his choice," Duncan said. "As for the execution, Crowley has brought to my attention an operation that was involved in that." Duncan picked up a small stack of papers off his desk and stood. He handed them to David who was closest. The knight looked over them, a frown creasing his brow.

"Those dirty little-"

"There are many names for them," Duncan said. "I prefer you don't say them however." David nodded and handed the papers to Pauline. The stack traveled from hand to hand, each person skimming over the information.

"So Feller was carrying through Morgarath's work?" Gilan asked, voicing their thoughts. Duncan nodded and placed the stack back on his desk.

"It appears so. At the execution Halt saved my life by jumping into the arrow's path," Duncan said. "Last night Halt was kidnapped and I believe it was by the men who were deployed here," he added and looked at Pauline. "You were there when Crowley discovered this correct?" The diplomat nodded, she looked weary as well.

"I was going to see Halt and I ran into Crowley. When we returned to the room Halt was gone and there was a message on his bed. It said: _Come to me or he dies_. Crowley ran down to the courtyard and told me to come wake you," Pauline said. "He took off and that's all I know. He said the men were Seth's," she added.

"Seth?" David asked.

"Feller's second son," Duncan answered.

"Who was his first?" David questioned. Duncan thought for a moment.

"I can't recall a name but I do know he was mauled by a bear at a fairly young age," Duncan said. Rodney nodded.

"So what now?" Gilan asked. "I say we go after Crowley and see what's going on." Duncan wasn't surprised by the Ranger's proposal, he had expected as much from him.

"I'm afraid we can't do that," Duncan said and waited for Gilan's outburst.

"Why's that?" Gilan asked angrily. David shot him a warning look and so did Will but they stayed silent. "Halt may be dead! Not to mention that it's most likely from being shot in the chest for you! Nobody knows what the hell's going on around here and we're supposed to sit around and just wait?" Gilan raged then realized that Duncan had been waiting for him to get it out. A little shame faced, he settled back in his chair.

"We can't have you go racing off. It'll only create more havoc and if you ask me, we have enough of that at the moment. You can however go to Candell with a small force of knights. If these papers are correct then there are around ten assassins that used to be allied With Morgarath. I'm sure Feller had an inner circle and if Seth plans to make a run for it, he'll most likely only take that small force. You'll leave in an hour or so," Duncan said and Gilan and Will nodded.

"What about that assistant? Matthew?" Rodney asked. A frown came upon Duncan.

"It seems that he has taken his life. He was found with a rope around his neck, dangling from a doorway this morning," he said. "He held information I believe and he knew we'd stop at no ends to get it from him."

* * *

Cropper rode into the clearing and Crowley jumped off the horse before he'd even stopped. It'd only taken about half a day to find the assassin's path again. He'd known they might head back to Candell and after stopping in a few towns he'd discovered he was right. At each town the men would switch horses so they could reach Candell as fast as possible. With this method the ride there only took about a day, possibly less. When he'd reached the fief there were signs of two horses heading towards the cabin and he'd followed them without a plan. Now he climbed the steps to the verandah and without thought he kicked the door in with his saxe knife grasped in his hand.

There was a sickly odor and he froze at the sight he beheld.

**So this was basically to recap...sort of...I think...anyways, YAY it's Tuesday! Please review:D**


	42. Chapter 42

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**First I would like to clear something up, something I should have said a long time ago. Many of you have mentioned Cassandra, Horace and Alyss' abscence here. The thing is, is that I couldn't bring everybody into this story, there would simply be too many people and Alyss, Cass and Horace wouldn't even really have a part therefore making a lot of unneeded scenes. Along with that, the point of this story is not to see who would react to the predicament and who would be there, it's to focus on Crowley's past and his connection with Halt. I'm not saying they wouldn't be there. It's quite possible they were there, I just didn't mention that particular fact.**

**I would also like to thank all of you people who continue to read this (whether it be reviewers or not) **

Halt was hanging from the ceiling by chains that had been mounted. His feet were barely touching the floor and there was a circle of red around him. Crowley's heart jumped into his throat as he saw what condition his friend was in. His chest was bare, revealing the sight of the slash and arrow wound. His torso had dried blood caked onto it like a shirt. A new wound in his shoulder looked like a gaping hole and Crowley saw that it was still bleeding. Added to the mix of blood was dirt. Halt's eyes were closed and his face looked about the same as his chest as far as blood went. The commandant could see bruises covering Halt as well. Panic rushing through his veins, Crowley ran towards his friend. He was a bit relieved to see that Halt's chest was rising and falling though not as much as he would have liked.

Looking around, Crowley felt the need to find a bucket. Nick was lying not far away in his own pool with flies buzzing around him. Crowley was struck with more guilt as he realized he was the reason one of his Rangers was dead now. Forcing his eyes and thoughts away from Nick, Crowley turned back to Halt.

"Halt, Halt, wake up," he said and went to slap Halt's cheek but stopped as he saw the large bruise on the side. "Halt. Come on!" he said frustrated. "Halt," he said forcefully and shook his friend slightly. There was a low moan and Halt's eyes opened slowly. Crowley smiled out of relief that Halt wasn't dead. "I'm going to get you out of here Halt, don't worry," Crowley said and looked up at the chains that supported Halt. His saxe wouldn't cut them, the only way to get him free would be to get the key but he wasn't about to voice his worry.

"Leave," Halt said softly, his voice barely a whisper. Crowley stopped his inspection and looked at Halt.

"I'm not going to leave you here like this," he said firmly. Crowley then learned that Halt was still capable of a deadly glare. "You'll be fine, I promise," he said though he didn't know if he'd be able to carry out that promise.

"They're here," Halt mumbled in a pained voice. There was a constant throb throughout his body and his head was still ready to burst.

"What? Who?" Crowley said. Before Halt could answer, Crowley heard footsteps coming in through the open door of the cabin. He spun around to see a group of three men, all dressed in black. The one in the middle, obviously the leader, had a jeering smile on and Crowley felt the urge to slap him. Or stab a knife through his eye socket.

"Can I kill 'im now?" the man on Crowley's right asked. He had black hair and blue eyes. The man in the middle had blond hair and green eyes while the man on the left, the shortest, had brown hair and black eyes. They all had various knives and the man that had spoken held a crossbow that was aimed at Halt.

"Not yet," the man in the middle snarled. "Honestly Victor, I know that you're an assassin but do you think of anything besides killing?" Blake looked at Crowley as if inspecting him. "Let's see what our friend here wants to do," he said. Crowley moved so he stood between Halt and the assassins. "Ah, a little protective are we?" Crowley didn't answer. "I just want to talk. Put down your weapons and this will be easier," he added. Crowley hesitated but the man on the left let his hand drop casually to the hilt of a knife at his hip. It was a sign of what was to happen if Crowley didn't obey. He knew these men were trained assassins and even if he did fight, there was little chance he'd be able to kill or disable the men and get away.

Slowly, Crowley set his saxe on the floor, followed by his quiver, bow and throwing knife. He considered handing over the knife that was hidden in his sleeve, a design that he had come up with for times like this, but decided to keep it. When that was done, he stood up and faced Blake with any emotion he had hidden.

"Bernard, would you be a good boy and gather our friend's toys?" Blake asked though it was clearly a command. The man on the left scurried forward and retrieved the pile of weapons. "Seth would like to speak to you," Blake said to Crowley.

"Well I don't wish to talk with Seth," Crowley snapped back.

"Little angry are we?" Blake asked teasingly. "Listen, we don't want to hurt your friend over there, looks like he's had it rough already. Seth just ordered us to get you. Now, either you come with us peacefully or we kill your friend there and capture you anyways," Blake said in an oddly reasonable tone. Crowley felt his defiant attitude fade. Halt was almost dead and Blake was offering a way to possibly save him.

"How do I know you'll keep your word?" Crowley asked and Blake smiled.

"You don't. Think of it this way: Seth doesn't even know Ranger Halt. Sure, he's heard the name but he really has no reason to want him dead and at the moment he poses no threat. You, however, are very capable to harm our…organization and he wishes to speak to you. He claims that the two of you share a bond of sorts. Therefore we have no reason to kill your friend," Blake explained in the same reasonable tone. "You're your friend's only chance. If you put up a fight then he gets killed and you still won't get away. There are more of us around; I doubt you'd make it to the village before we got you. It's going to end the same, the only difference being that Halt here might live."

Crowley didn't know what to do. It sounded reasonable but that was the problem with assassins, they knew how to make everything sound so simple. He looked over his shoulder at Halt who was still awake and watching the proceedings. Though Crowley didn't think he could see much as his eyes were squinted. A result of getting hit upon the head a few times.

"Give me the key," Crowley demanded as he looked back to Blake. The killer frowned.

"What?" he asked.

"I said give me the key. Give me the key to set Halt free and let me get him on my horse and I'll go with you," Crowley explained. Blake thought for a moment.

"How about Bernard and Victor bring your friend out there? I'll unlock him and then they can carry him out," Blake said. Crowley shook his head. Blake normally would have let his temper boil by now and just lunged at the Ranger but that was the problem. This was a Ranger and he was one assassin. Bernard and Victor were by no means with him for loyalty. They were getting paid the same as he and if he were to be foolish they wouldn't help him out. Therefore he had to deal with this problem differently. "Fine," he said and dug a key out of his jerkin's pocket. "But I think I'll give you a little…persuasion to make sure you stay," he added and held a knife to Crowley's back as he turned around.

Crowley reached up and unlocked Halt's shackles, leaving the key in them as he hurriedly supported Halt. The commandant draped Halt's arm across his shoulder so he could help Halt walk. Halt at first tried to shake Crowley off but quickly found he wasn't strong enough. He couldn't see far in front of him and even that was blurry. His leg that had been stabbed still didn't support his weight too well and the ground seemed to be swimming in front of him. Not to mention he was stiff and any movement twisted his chest and therefore his cut. Already it was starting to bleed again. Even now he winced as Crowley moved the shoulder that had previously been home to a dagger point.

"You're going to be fine Halt, I swear. Ride Cropper to Castle Araluen and tell Duncan okay? Come on," Crowley said quietly in Halt's ear as they made their way out the door. Halt was depending on Crowley to keep him upright and Crowley didn't know how Halt was going to ride a horse back to the castle.

They got outside and Crowley managed to get Halt onto the saddle. Now that he was sitting, Halt seemed a little bit better. Though Crowley didn't know if he could make it back to Castle Araluen safely. Either way, it was better than keeping him here in harm's way. Crowley whispered into Cropper's ear and the horse bobbed his head and started towards the path. Crowley watched him while lost in his musings. From behind he heard a noise and then a blindfold was slipped over his head. His hands were forced behind his back and his thumbs were bound together. He heard a cry of pain and felt a sinking feeling in his gut. There must have been assassins waiting in the trees. He knew there'd been reason for his uneasy feeling but his need to get Halt out of there had dismissed the feeling.

"Did I mention that assassins lie?" Blake asked in an amused voice by Crowley's ear.

**Please review**


	43. Chapter 43

**Okay, so I won't be updating for a few days actually (I found a bow and then I'm going to see tractor pulls and a concert and it's pretty busy) but I do want to tell you all of an idea I have. As you know, it isn't looking to well for our dear friend Halt is it? Well there are two ways this story could end and I have each way figured out fairly well. I got this idea from Pixie blue (who you should check out) I have a poll and there are two numbers. One represents the happy ending and one represents the sad ending. I won't be telling you which is which though. Whichever number recieves the highest amount of votes will be the ending I go with. I promise that I won't ignore the votes and just end it however I want to, honestly I want Halt to live as much as you all but I've also always wanted to write a fic where he dies. So please vote on my profile or leave the number 1 or 2 in a review. Thank you, have a nice day and don't fall off a cliff.**

**P.S. Curious, I'm not mad for you asking that:D There are some who know but I rather not answer it, I mean I don't really care or anything but I don't think the gender of the author really matters you know? Sorry.**


	44. Chapter 44

**Okay, I'm back:D So this may not be the best chapter because I'm just getting back into the swing of everything you know?**

**Anyways, the winner of the poll was number two so let's see how this goes shall we?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

Crowley was shoved forward roughly and stumbled, just barely keeping himself upright. Ahead he could hear a few voices. They seemed to be alarmed.

"The horse is bloody crazy!" one man shouted and Crowley smiled to himself. His smile diminished when he felt a sharp object in the middle of his back.

"Calm him down," snarled Blake. He grabbed one of Crowley's arms and dragged him forward until the voices were close. "Now," he growled, the knife still poised on the commandant's back.

"C…Cropper," Crowley said. "Still," he ordered and he heard a whinny. There was the sound of shuffling and then a thump and a moan as if somebody had been kicked against a tree. Crowley smiled again.

"Tell him to beat it," Blake snarled. He was aware how disciplined Ranger horses were. Cropper so far had simply been protecting the fallen figure of Halt. Now he was starting towards the assassin and Crowley.

"Go home boy," Crowley ordered. There wasn't any sound of obedience. "Go," he said with a firmer voice and he heard hoof beats as Cropper, unwillingly, obeyed. Blake smiled cruelly.

"Good job. I think it's time to take a nap now," he said and Crowley fell forward as a strong force hit him in the head. His head swam and there was another pound before he passed out.

* * *

When he awoke again, Crowley found himself in a sort of cabin. Definitely not a Ranger cabin, something simpler. There were no windows and the room was completely empty save the body lying beside him. Crowley felt his heart pounding fast, after he'd heard Halt's yell he didn't know what had happened to him. His friend's chest was rising and falling but he looked downright terrible. Still covered in blood, bruises and grime. The bandages looked the same as the ones he'd been wearing for the past few days and Crowley knew something had to be done about it. Removing his shirt and cloak, Crowley started working. With part of his shirt he wiped off what blood he could. It wasn't a lot as the gore was practically glued to him. When Halt was looking somewhat better, Crowley ripped his cloak and shirt to make crude bandages for the wounds that looked worse. That included Halt's entire chest and his shoulder. Added to that Crowley cleaned off Halt's face, doing his best to clean out the cut under his eye.

When his ministrations were done, Crowley sat back on his haunches and looked at Halt helplessly. His hair was matted with gore and who knows what else. Crowley frowned as he spotted a chain around Halt's neck. It was broken and draped around his neck like somebody had yanked at it. Upon closer inspection, Crowley discovered it was the remains of Halt's oakleaf necklace. Crowley looked down at his own necklace that was resting against his bare chest. Without a word or second thought, he removed it and carefully placed it around Halt's neck, removing the ruined chain as he did so. He placed the chain in his pocket and lay down, staring at the ceiling.

It seemed like forever before there was a noise outside. Crowley didn't react any, quite frankly, he couldn't think of a way for their predicament to get any worse. The noise grew closer and Crowley sat up and looked at Halt. The Ranger's eyes were still closed and he appeared to be sleeping. Crowley stood; ready to defend himself and Halt. A few moments passed before a door that blended in with the wall opened and Blake followed by Victor and two guards entered. Blake had his taunting smile on and Crowley, unthinkingly, lunged for him. There was a brief scuffle and Crowley felt his fist smash into Blake's face a few times before he was shoved away by the two guards and Victor. The commandant landed on the floor with a thud and he glared at the men.

"We'll have none of that," Blake snapped, an angry scowl replacing his teasing smile. "It's time you see Seth," he added. The two guards moved forward and Crowley did his best to fight them off but it was no use, two heavily muscled knights outmatched a weak and tired Ranger.

Crowley was shoved outside, the bright noon sun blinding him for a moment. Behind him he could hear the door to the room closing and was relieved to find that Victor and Blake followed them without Halt. They wound their way through what seemed to be a camp. It was surrounded by trees and Crowley suspected it was a plateau on the mountain separating Candell Fief from the ocean. The camp was small, composed only of four to six cabins, not counting the large one they were headed for and the one Crowley had been imprisoned in.

When they reached the large cabin, Crowley was shoved inside. The room was lit naturally and was fairly ornate. A rug was on the floor and Seth was seated in a wooden throne placed across the room from the door. There was a door that led out of the room and a desk set up beside it. Crowley stood facing Seth while the guards exited the room to stand outside with Victor and Blake.

"You killed him. You killed him ruthlessly," Seth said, looking at his brother with pure hate. Crowley stayed silent; he wasn't entirely sure what Seth was talking about. "My messenger told me everything. You were the one who killed him." Understanding dawned in Crowley's eyes. Seth must have heard about events in Araluen Fief. Though it didn't seem like he had all the facts straight. "Now it's your time to die," he said as he stood up abruptly. Drawing his sword, Seth advanced towards Crowley who stood still.

"You don't have to do this Seth. It won't solve a single thing," Crowley said calmly. Seth stopped.

"You killed father and are trying to get the throne. All this has just been a game to you. You take your father's life and put you're 'friend' in danger. You don't actually care about anybody. You just want power. Killing you will solve everything," Seth growled. Crowley forced back his anger at the accusations.

"You're wrong. I may have wanted Candell at one point but that was long, long ago. I've found my place in the Rangers and nothing will change that. I have all I want. What happened with Feller is more complicated than that and I think you know that. And I care about people Seth. I wouldn't be here if I didn't care about Halt. I cared for father in a way and I even care for you Seth. Sure, we've never been on good terms, in fact we practically hate each other but I don't want you dead and I don't want Candell so just put the sword down," Crowley responded evenly. Without weapons, words were his biggest defense right now.

"You're a liar!" Seth shouted. "All Rangers are! You killed father! You stabbed him!"

"Seth, tell me what you know about that. Honestly, I think you're trying to convince yourself I did this. Just think for a moment and answer me," Crowley said in a controlled voice. Seth glared at him.

"You ran from us. You deserted us because you were a weakling and a coward. You deserved to be dead and father was going to make sure that the deed was done," Seth said dangerously. The sword was in his hand and leveled, ready to drive into Crowley. Crowley sighed mentally, Seth had been more messed up by Feller than he had expected.

"Yes, I ran from you. I ran because there was nothing for me here. I've told you this before," Crowley answered in his forced calm way. "Do you really want to kill me Seth? I know Feller has told you all your life that doing things like this is fine and great but do you really believe it?"

Without warning, Seth lunged forward with the blade. Crowley did his best to get out of the way but the sword slashed his arm. Ignoring the pain, he backed away a few steps from Seth.

"You belong dead," Seth growled and went to lunge again but there was a knock at the door. Without waiting for a reply, what looked to be a scout burst in, panting.

"Kn….knights! C…co…coming now," he said between breaths.

**Eh, not the best but it's set up what I need to happen. You know, a miraculous recovery or a death...please review**


	45. Chapter 45

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

Seth paused for a moment and looked at Crowley. The Ranger didn't move or react any though inside he was cheering. If his thoughts were right and the knights were Duncan's men then there might be a chance for Halt.

"Get Blake, Victor, Bernard and two more of our men and start for the pirates by the quay. Don't alert the rest, we don't need them," Seth ordered and the scout disappeared. Seth looked back to Crowley. "You're coming with me to get your worthless coward friend. We can dump you both in the ocean," he added. Crowley thought about fighting him but even if he did, he'd have to go and grab Halt. Once he got him, he'd be slowed down considerably and he didn't know how far away the knights were. Seth could have Blake and Victor on him before he even exited the camp.

Seth grabbed Crowley by an arm and directed him out the door with the sword held against Crowley's side. Outside Blake, Victor and the two guards were gone. Seth looked around nervously as they hurried their way to the small, windowless cabin. Seth opened the door and Crowley darted in. Halt was awake now, sitting in a corner with his back against the wall. Already there were stains on the shirt Crowley had used as a bandage. He was about to help Halt up when there was a series of yells coming from outside.

"We're leaving now," Seth snarled and dragged Crowley out the door. He'd re-sheathed his sword and now held a dagger to the commandant's throat. Outside there was a force of five knights making a half circle around the door. About fifteen more rushed about, engaging with assassins. Crowley saw Gilan and Will step between two of the knights surrounding them.

"Release him," Gilan growled.

"Any closer and I drive this knife through his throat and retreat into the building and kill the other," Seth answered with a small smile of triumph. Gilan hesitated for a moment and looked to Crowley.

"Let it go Gil, I can handle myself. Just-"Crowley was forced to silence as Seth dug the knife into his throat though not enough to kill him.

"Shut up," Seth said in Crowley's ear. Crowley fell silent and shook his head slightly to warn Gilan and Will to let it go. The two Rangers looked from Seth to Crowley then to the building where it was said Halt resided. Eventually Will turned to the knights.

"Back off," he said a bit dejectedly. The knights hesitated but they were under the Ranger's control and had to obey.

"Go," Gilan demanded, glaring at Seth with a murdering look. He was here for Halt but if Seth threatened his commandant then he was ready to kill him for that as well.

Seth smiled and walked away still with Crowley. The commandant considered fighting Seth to get free but he knew that running from this wouldn't solve anything. Something had to happen between them, good or bad he knew not. Behind him he heard Gilan and Will issuing orders. Once they were out of sight of the cabin Seth sped up, forcing Crowley to follow him. After a while they found themselves in a clearing. Seth backed Crowley against a tree and lowered the knife from the commandant's throat to his heart.

"It's time."

* * *

Halt watched as Crowley was forced out of the room by Seth. Still disoriented and confused, he tried to stand but couldn't. Outside he heard talking and a few minutes later Will and Gilan came in. His vision was clearer now but his head persisted with the throbbing. Nausea and dizziness swept over him as his former apprentices helped him to his feet but once standing he was stable.

"Come on Gil, we have to get him to Candell. There might be a healer there that can help him," Will said. He sounded a bit worried. Once the force had reached Candell they'd discovered Seth's desertion and Nick's body. They'd convinced one of the assassins that was still at the castle to tell them where Seth might have gone. In the end they'd found their way to the fort.

"No," Halt stated quietly. His voice was gravelly, result of his lack of water. He'd been fed some water and food but just enough to survive by.

"Halt, look at yourself!" Gilan said incredulously.

"Where's Crowley?" Halt persisted. Will thought about not answering but Halt glared at him.

"S…Seth took him. We had no choice Halt. He had a knife to Crowley's throat. It was either let Seth go with him or get you both killed," Will explained. "I doubt Seth will actually kill him. There's no reason for him to."

"There's plenty of reason in that bastard's mind," Halt answered and removed Gilan and Will's hold on him. "Where's Abelard?" Halt asked. Gilan took a step towards him.

"He's with us. We were going to leave him at the castle but he sorta broke out of the stables and followed us. He refused to go back," Gilan said. Halt nodded, the action causing the throbbing to intensify.

Making his way out of the cabin, Halt gave three sharp whistles and watched as Abelard came running from the tree line. The horse stopped and went to shove his snout into Halt's chest but stopped. Halt gave a grim smile.

"I'll explain later," Halt murmured into the horse's ear. He heard Gilan and Will exit the cabin and come up behind him. "Help me up," he ordered.

"Halt-"

"Now," Halt said sterner though the effect was lost with the weak voice he had.

"No, just take a moment and look at yourself!" Gilan said angrily. "We finally got you and I'm not going to let you run off now!" he added. "We're bringing you to Candell and that's final!"

"He's right Halt. We sent knights after Seth, they'll find him before anything bad happens," Will chipped in. Halt went to shake his head but stopped.

"No, they can't find him as fast as Abelard can," Halt protested. "Now help me onto Abelard," he ordered. Gilan and Will didn't make any move to help him. If you don't help me then I'm going to do it myself and I'll end up killing myself," Halt said in his cracked voice, only half joking.

Will and Gilan helped Halt up onto Abelard. As he was getting settled, Halt felt something slap against his chest and looked down. There was an oakleaf around his neck and he remembered his own being ruined at Nick's cabin. He clasped the trinket and turned it over. On the back, where a Ranger's name was engraved into their oakleaf was Crowley's name. Halt felt oddly moved by what his friend had done. Even if they were as close as they were, giving Halt his oakleaf was a large gesture.

"Stay here and deal with the rest of the assassins. I'll take care of Seth," Halt said. Even in this state his apprentices didn't think to disobey him. "Find Crowley," Halt whispered into Abelard's ear. Abelard, who looked to Crowley as almost a second owner, would be able to track the Ranger with his supreme sense of smell. Abelard shook his mane happily before lowering his head. Once he had found a scent he started off at a fast pace.

It took a while but eventually they were in the outskirts of a clearing. Halt saw Seth facing a tree but nothing else.

"It's time," Seth said.

**A couple of things here: First, I don't actually know if a Ranger's name is engraved on their oakleaf, it was just something so Halt knew that Crowley had given him his oakleaf. Second, for Abelard tracking Crowley, I don't actually know but it seemed like a talent the horses would have right? Please review:D**


	46. Chapter 46

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**First I would like to thank Mychele and HOOPLA for helping me with the small writer's block I had**

"Seth, don't," Crowley warned.

"Shut up!" Seth shot back. There was a strangled cry from Crowley as Halt painfully dismounted Abelard. He had found a knife in what he assumed to be the sleeve of Crowley's shirt and was now holding it as he leaned against Abelard for support. He was on Seth's left and so far remained unseen.

Halt looked at his friend shoved against the tree with the knife at a point above his heart. There was a long scratch going from his temple to his jaw and blood gushed out. Crowley's teeth were clenched and his eyes were burning with hate. Halt released his hold on Abelard and gathered up what energy he could. Making a slight movement, Halt caught Crowley's eye. Crowley saw the dagger clutched in Halt's weak hand. His bandages were bloody and Crowley's eyes widened slightly.

"No Halt!" he yelled but was too late.

Halt launched himself at Seth and stabbed the baron in the gut. Seth cried out and bent over. Halt went to stab him again but was too weak. It had taken all he had to get here and just stab Seth once. Crowley was frozen in place, not knowing what to do. He didn't want either of them to die. Seth mindlessly slashed out with his knife and succeeded in ripping the bandages off Halt's chest. Halt fell to the ground, his face contorted in pain. Seth gave a small smile and raised his knife to throw. Crowley snapped into action and dove at his brother but was too late. The knife was on its way to Halt.

"Halt!" Crowley yelled, leaving his bleeding brother and ignoring the excruciating pain in his face. Abelard was already at his master's side, nudging Halt's head gently. "Halt, you'll be fine. I…you…don't worry," Crowley rambled helplessly. Tears threatened to spill over and he saw blood flowing down his face and onto the ground. The knife was sticking out of Halt's gut and his entire chest seemed to be pouring red.

"No," Halt said weakly as Crowley tried uselessly to stop the bleeding with the already dirty makeshift bandages. "I killed Feller, sorry," Halt mumbled as his eyelids began to close. Crowley looked at him, the tears coming down.

"I know Halt, you'll be fine. I swear. Just…just stay awake. Halt," Crowley pleaded, slapping Halt's face softly. "I'm not mad Halt, stay awake," he added.

"Brothers," was all Halt said as he looked into Crowley's eyes. The light in Halt's eyes faded and Crowley shook his friend rougher, tears coming down in rivers down his face.

"No!" he yelled angrily. "Halt!" Crowley looked over to his real brother. Seth lay like Halt, still and motionless. It only fed to his grief when he remembered it was his fault this had happened. "Halt!"

Abelard stamped the ground desolately and gave a soft whinny. Crowley, his hands covered in Halt's blood kept shaking the Ranger though he knew it wasn't going to do anything. A few moments passed and he heard men run into the clearing. He stayed by Halt though, one hand clutched onto his arm. Hands grabbed Crowley and he struggled against them, not wanting to leave Halt. He saw the men were Araluen knights yet he still fought. Eventually he was causing so much trouble that a knight had to knock him on the head with the hilt of his dagger.

* * *

Crowley woke with a bit of a start. He sat up in the bed he was lying in and looked around. The room looked like an infirmary room. Sheets were hung up around his bed for privacy and there was a window behind him. Beside his bed was a small table with a glass of water on it. His head was throbbing and his face hurt immensely but there were bandages to stop the bleeding. Other wounds he'd sustained over the past week or so were also bandaged. He lay back down and stare at the ceiling.

The event in the clearing seemed like a dream now. There was simply no possible way Halt could be dead. Or Seth for that matter. He closed his eyes in anger and let more tears spill down. He couldn't believe it was real but it was so vivid in his memory. He couldn't imagine that. Crowley debated leaving the room, it was too much and he needed fresh air. He needed to think over things. It was simply overwhelming. The commandant was about to stand when a figure shoved the sheet to the side and entered. It was Gilan. Crowley sat on the side of the bed with his head in his hands. He was freezing as he still had no shirt but he ignored it. Gilan took a seat beside him.

"Where's Will?" Crowley asked, dreading the answer. It only just now struck him how the others like Pauline and Will would react to this.

"He's taking it rough, went back to Redmont with the knights and Halt's body this morning. You've been out the entire night and half the day. It's noon now," Gilan replied emptily. He looked weary and Crowley could only imagine how little sleep he'd gotten. There was a faint smell of alcohol about him as well, suggesting a violent night as well.

"So it…it was real. What happened in the clearing," Crowley said softly. Gilan didn't answer for a moment.

"Yes."

"He saved me," Crowley said after a while, his tone shaky. "I froze, I…I didn't do anything." He looked at Gilan who was staring at the wall. "Give me your knife," Crowley said seriously. Gilan looked at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Your knife, give it to me," Crowley stated.

"Why?" Gilan asked as he moved his hand to the hilt of his saxe. He handed the weapon to the commandant who grasped it with familiarity. Looking down at the weapon Crowley laid it against his chest, the edge dug slightly into his chest and Gilan looked alarmed. "What the hell are you doing?" he growled.

"I can't live with this Gil." Crowley looked furious but it his anger was directed at himself. "My brother, my father and now my…my best friend. They're all dead because of me," Crowley said and put pressure on the knife. He drew blood. "Halt has a family, I don't and I'm the reason he's dead. I don't deserve to be alive," Crowley finished in a gruff voice. "I might as well have driven the knife into Halt myself. Think about it Gil, you wouldn't be able to move on."

"You're right, I wouldn't be able to deal with it, I'd kill myself in a heartbeat but guess what? You aren't me," Gilan said angrily and stood up to face the commandant. "Halt gave his damn life for you the way I hear it. He died because of you but he died willingly, I don't know about you but that'd be a pretty big honor if it happened to me. Now you're just going to jab your heart out because you feel guilty. Yes, you should feel bad. You should feel awful but he gave his life for you! Halt wouldn't do something like that unless you truly deserved it," Gilan said furiously and ripped the knife away from Crowley. With that he turned around and stormed out of the room.

**Do not kill me, you all voted for choice number 2...please review**


	47. Chapter 47

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or any of its characters**

**Okay so here is the final chapter I believe, I would like to thank all of the reviewers, followers, favoriters, and just random readers for reading this and all, you are epic:D Sorry for my abscence, I went to a friend's house. My bad, seven people voted 1 and nine 2 so not EVERYBODY :D**

_**Epilogue: **_

Crowley stood in front of a headstone. But it wasn't any headstone; it was that of his friend, his comrade and above all else his brother. The commandant was completely still. Halt's funeral had ended about an hour ago. Will and Gilan had stayed for a while but they couldn't handle it. It was too much for everybody. Pauline had wanted to stay as well but had been coaxed into leaving by Rodney and Arald when it was obvious that she couldn't handle it either. Crowley wouldn't soon forget the tears that spilled down the face of one of the most honored diplomats in all of Araluen. And it was because of him. Crowley hadn't moved a muscle since the end of the service. He couldn't bring himself to. The sun was beginning to leave and shadows dotted the Ranger's Clearing. It was a special spot in the forest that was reserved for the burials of Rangers. Crowley felt tears well up and spill down but he didn't move to stop them. Clenching his fists, he sat down by the stone and continued to stare at it. Ever since it had happened, Crowley had tried to deny it. Trying to pass it off as a dream, saying to himself that Halt would show up as soon as some mission was done. But the gravestone seemed to make the unbelievable a harsh reality.

At the top of the stone was an oakleaf, the Ranger's symbol. Crowley trailed his fingers over Halt's engraved name and his dates of birth and death. He stopped when he got to the inscription. It read:

_A Ranger, a husband, a father, a friend._

_May your aim stay true and your heart strong._

_R.I.P._

It was simple as most of the Ranger's inscriptions were but it held much meaning to those close to Halt. Though in Crowley's troubled mind it didn't even begin to cover what Halt was to him. Crowley removed his hand and reached into his pocket and pulled out a chain with an oakleaf on it. Halt's name was on the back. Crowley had kept the chain and as they were searching the corpses of the dead assassins he had found it in one of their pockets. It was made of metal and Crowley supposed the brigand thought he'd get a fair price for it. The commandant had brought it back to Araluen and had the chain repaired. Now he dug his hand into the soft dirt that had just been placed an hour before. When he deemed the hole deep enough, he dropped the necklace in and covered it up.

"There Halt, it's the least I can do for you," Crowley whispered and resumed his staring. "You don't know how sorry I am," he added and his voice cracked. He looked back to the inscription and read it over and over again, there was something missing. Slowly Crowley drew his saxe and brought it to the stone. At the end of the list of Ranger, husband, father and friend, Crowley began to add. The sharp saxe knife cut into the stone fairly easy and he finished what it said by the time the sun no longer remained in the sky. "I don't know what I'm going to do without you," Crowley said and stood up, it was time to go, the drawbridge to the castle may already be up but he didn't care. He wouldn't be falling asleep anyways; he'd just be plagued by nightmares. No, he didn't even want to go to the castle. He needed to leave. Perhaps for a short while but maybe a long while. He just couldn't stay in Araluen now. Not with this weighing him down. Almost all over the country there was something to remind him of Halt and he couldn't be around any of that now. Outside the country were things as well but not as bad.

The commandant took one last look at the stone before turning his back and walking out of the graveyard to a horse that stood ready to leave with its saddlebags packed. Crowley mounted and tapped Cropper's sides and they started off. Not in the direction of the castle but in the direction of the far off coast. Every step away got harder and harder but Crowley kept on. By the time the sun had risen the next morning there was no sign of the Ranger. They would check the graveyard first, he knew they would. And when they got there they wouldn't see the old inscription. They'd see a stone that now read:

_A Ranger, a husband, a father, a friend and above all, a brother._

**_The End_**

**So not that good of an ending...anyways, please review, I'd love to hear your thoughts on how this went and all. **

**For those who are going to read/already started Ruined Relations, I might be a few days or so in starting that so just bear with me all right?**

**Oh and I will be doing an alternate ending so keep your eyes open for that**

**Have a nice life and remember the snuggies are always watching**

**-Bralt**


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